Akame Ga Kill-Blood Rain
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: The Empire isn't all it's cracked out to be. Thanks to the Prime Minister everyone is suffering. People are getting tortured killed and worse. However, those who reap souls in the dead of the night have vowed to fell the beast that is destroying their home. The Grim Reaper has finally come calling, his name is Zack. He will stop at nothing to find the fucker who killed his family.
1. Kill the Bandits

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to another new story by yours truly, the Celestial Sky Dragon. This time around, I am trying my hand at the series Akame Ga Kill. Originally, this was gonna be a crossover with Gate: Thus the JSDF fought there, but I was't able to get everything down right. As such, chapter one may have some references to Gate as the original beginning plot points are still there, just ignore this. I'm not sure if I will cross it over in the future, but for now it will remain solely an AGK story.**

 **The main character is based of of Ruby Rose, it will be a lot more apparent as the story goes on. I was actually thinking of crossing this over with RWBY at one point, I thought it would be an interesting premise, but I haven't worked out all the kinks yet. You know what they say, no idea is a bad idea unless you make it a bad idea. So for now this will just remain as an idea, unless someone can make a plot out of it and pitch it to me, no guarantee that I'll be able to write something though.**

 **As always, if you wish to toss me an oc, I'll most likely use them, considering this is Akame Ga Kill, don't get mad if I randomly kill them off...I've already been planning various ways the main cast may die, no one lives forever, as an assassin especially. Also, I will be following the manga story line as best as I can, but throwing my own twists in there. I like the anime, but everything after episode 13 was just...well not good in my opinion. Obviously you couldn't put the Wild Hunt arc in there because of how violent it is, but still I will not be following the anime story at all, because I think it was a bad ending.**

 **So, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter...took me three rewrites before finally getting it right...so I hope you all like it. Tell me what you think and what I should do to make the plot more interesting, there will be unique targets and story arcs as well..let's just say this is a series where I can let my darkside out to play, because I am known to come up with some rather fucked up story ideas. You know what they said, a Man alone with his thoughts can come up with some macabre ideas. Hope you have a good one.**

 **As a side note...I'm sure most of you know that I am in fact Puerto Rican...right now my homeland is in a crisis due to Hurricane Maria. My mother, step father and my little sisters live there, along with various of my aunts and uncles. I've got no communications at all with any of my family, and it is very worrying. I've already donated some money to the cause, so if you could spare a dollar or two, please donate them to charity, not just for them, but for the people of Mexico who not only suffered from one Earthquake but from an Aftershock as well, it would mean a lot if you could show us some kindness and donate to those in need. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey victims are included too, just...do your best to spread a little kindness to those who need it...thank you all for always being loyal fans, my prayers to those who have friends and family in any of these locations.**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 1

Kill the Bandits

Bright blue skies fell on a lone figure, making his way toward the Imperial City. The path he was taking was a straight shot to the seat of the Empire, a city that spanned over 200,000 square miles, and was inhabited by more than a million people. The wind was still, not even a breeze could be felt, and it was a bit hot since it was the early spring season. The dusty road was one well traveled, the marks of carriages could be seen ingrained in the dried dirt. The path was lined by thick forest on either side, which was often times filled with various danger beasts. Depending on the species, one could be paid rather well for taking one down.

The young man making his way to the capital was in fact returning from a meeting he had with some friends in the land of the south. There was a Principality that bordered with the Empire, and was mostly on bad terms with them, even though their rulers did try to get along. It was also the location of the Revolutionary Army, which had stations all around the continent, but was mostly located in the Principality, due to them being nobles and traitors of the Empire, wanted by the law for treason. It was much easier to hide behind a border than to walk around freely and risk being spotted.

The boy stopped in the middle of the path, his ear twitching a bit. He heard the sound of a cart approaching from the south. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see it in the distance, swiftly approaching. Four horses were pulling a rather large stage coach, but it seemed as if it was carrying goods rather than people. He would just let them pass, and if he was lucky, score a ride the rest of the way to the capital. He jingled the coins in his pocket, nodding to himself.

He looked to be a young man, with lightly tanned skin, and bright green eyes. The right side of his face was covered by a white mask, which covered the entirety of his cheek, down to his jawline. The mask had been custom made for him, out of the hardest metal alloy he could find, and was designed not to fall of in battle.

He was wearing a crimson colored cloak, one of his signature clothing choices. It was made from a special kind of silk that allowed him to blend into the night, despite its brilliant color. His hood was lined black on the inside, and hid his spiky black locks.

He was wearing long sleeved black tunic, with a crimson leather vest over it. It had been a form of light armor that he had gotten made for him. It had been rather hard for him to get dyed leather, so he took quite a lot of care with it. He wore a pair of black jeans, secured by a leather belt. Around his waist were several pouches, holding various items within.

He wore a pair of black armored boots, held together with thick pieces of crimson leather. He was wearing a pair of leather arm braces on his arms, which helped quite a lot against people with short swords, though not a lot of people were able of causing him damage. The braces were special, as they held a hidden blade, which made it easier to kill people stealthily, something that he did quite often.

He had a couple other weapons on him, that made him a deadly force. He had a lever action 12 gauge shotgun, strapped to his leg. It was a sleek black color, with a wooden grip, which he had made himself from some balsamic wood. The weapon itself wasn't longer than his arm, definitely illegal by his world's standards. It was one of the remaining vestiges to the other side.

Strapped to his left leg and hidden from view was another one of his favorite weapons. A small rifle known as the Honey Badger. It was a sleek and small gun, making it almost hard to see on his person. He had been so proficient with it, that he could draw it and kill a group of people without batting an eye. The weapon was practically weightless to him, and neither impeded his movements, as they had been held onto his legs with a specially designed holster.

The final weapon he had in his possession was his personal favorite one. It was a weapon he had found through mere luck during his exploration of this new land. It was a sleek scythe, known solely by the title it was given. The Crimson Thorn: Crescent Rose. It was a scythe that was created for quick battles, but also meant to be concealed on the holder's person. With a flick of the wrist, the weapon extended outward into its battle form, it was by far his favorite way to battle, and he often walked around with it resting on his shoulder. However he was carrying it in its travel mode, not wanting to attract attention to himself.

He saw the Coach was slowly approaching, and held his hand out, flagging it down. The men slowed down, coming to a stop shortly after. Four stallions pulled the cart, and looked strong and lovely. He had seen many horses in these lands, and they were treated with high honor due to their various uses around the country. He walked up to the driver and his escort, giving them a smile. They looked at him oddly, due to the half mask he was wearing on his face, he had long since learned to ignore those stares.

"You heading to the capital?" he asked.

"Aye, we're carrying some goods from the eastern territories. Something the matter son?" the man asked.

"Not at all, this is a highly dangerous area. A lot of Terrier Moles like to tear the path up. I'm in need of a ride to the city, I'm willing to pay for the ride, in return I can offer my services." he said.

"Hehe, services? Sorry kiddo, we already got an archer with us...the girl is good, ended up loosing her way in the forest." the man said, gesturing over his shoulder.

The boy looked up, seeing the black haired girl who was now looking at him with curious eyes. They were a dark onyx color, something he didn't see often during his travels. She was wearing a black furred poncho over her shoulders. He saw what looked like a kimono underneath it, which was a silky lavender color. He also saw the brown strap of a quiver slung across her shoulder.

"Not to impute on your archery skills my lady, have you fallen a Mole before? Have you even seen one?" he asked.

"I've had my fair share of beastly encounters sir. I believe my skills are sufficient enough to keep us safe." she replied, a firm tone in her voice. The boy chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"The lady speaks firmly and proudly. I like that in a woman, tell ya what...I'll pay you three Platinum for a ride to the capital." he said.

"What did you say? Three Platinum?" the driver said. The boy reached into his pocket, pulling out the platinum colored coins, emblazoned with the crest of the Royal Capital.

"I haven't seen platinum in years...to hold such a vast amount of money...alright kid, we'll take you the rest of the way to the capital. We'll even make it urgent if you need to."

"Nah, I'm good thanks." the boy said, handing the payment over to the men, who looked it over to make sure it was real. When they saw the stamp on the back of the coins, they quickly grabbed the reigns, waiting for the boy to jump into the coach. It took up off the path.

"So, what's your story?" the girl asked, causing the boy to look up. He had found himself a seat next to some wine barrels. He had half a mind to grab a drink from them.

"There isn't one, I'm afraid. Just a drifter, I go around slaying beasts and what not for money. I was heading to the capital to collect my next payout." he said simply.

"I don't believe you. A person like you, you look my age, maybe a year older." she said, earning a chuckle from the boy. He gave her a smile, leaning forward a bit.

"Girlie, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I ain't from around here, in fact I'm not from this country. I'm from the Principality." he said, causing her to go wide eyed.

"The country to the south? That borders the empire? What are you doing up here then?"

"Stuff...things that little girls shouldn't get involved with." he said, earning a scowl from the girl. She crossed her arms, looking away from him.

"I'm not little, I'm seventeen just so you know. I'm the best archer in my village. Naturally it falls onto my shoulders to secure some sort of payment to help my friends and family out." she said.

"Hmm...in other words, your village is so fucked by the Empire's tax that they're sending kids to the capital. I get ya...I've seen my fair share of bankrupt villages and towns."

"I'll bet...the Principality is so much better off than the Empire. At least you guys aren't doing bad economically." she said.

"Ah, but the civil unrest is all the same my lady. Our villages get pillaged by bandits, our men forced into the army, our women raped and sold as slaves, and our children are bartered and traded as if they were toys. Our fields get salted, our water supplies poisoned, entire cities set aflame. All of it is caused by the Empire's influence." he said. The girl lowered her gaze a bit, a frown on her face. The caught sight of the white flower pinned to her hair. It was a beautiful one, that he had seen in the fields north of the border. He found himself smiling a bit.

"A silk dragon...those flowers are very beautiful. They're often given to maidens who are to be betrothed, you looking for someone in the capital?" he asked. She looked up, flushing a bit.

"Hell no! The village elder gave me this flower as a good luck charm, it's been enchanted so it never dies." she said.

"Enchanted huh? Well wouldn't you know?" he asked, glancing out toward the path.

"So...the Principality isn't that far from here, is it?" she asked.

"Nope, the Principality is a country within another country. They have quite a bit of land, but are are still within the Empire's continent. It is further divided into kingdoms each lead by a different noble family. From here to the border, it would be about five days on horse back, depending on if the weather is good." he said.

"And if it isn't?" she asked, earning a chuckle from him.

"Well then, you might want to start lifting weights and getting some upper body strength, because the climb isn't very fun." he said.

"I don't need to lift weights, I'm a pretty good climber. I used to hide from my friends Tatsumi and Ieyasu in the tallest evergreen trees in our village. It was always fun looking at them from above."

"Hmm...my sister used to do the same. She always drove my parents crazy with her ludicrous hiding places."

The cart suddenly pulled to a stop, the horses bucking a bit. The boy got off the barrel and knelt down a bit, placing a hand on the handle of his weapon. He didn't like using his scythe around people, because he knew if they recognized it, they could probably figure out what it was. It wasn't a normal conventional weapon, but sometimes it was better than wasting the little ammunition he had. He mentally weighed his options.

" _If its a group of bandits, I can easily take them out with a short burst. But there's only so much ammo I can carry in that enchanted pouch. I honestly don't feel like buying raw lead and iron just to cast more bullets. It's hard enough making them all from scratch, if I fight here I may not be able to save the shells."_

"What's wrong sir?" the girl asked, her wooden bow already in her hand.

"I'm not sure...I think the horses caught wind of something they don't like." the man, trying to calm the beasts down. The ground started rumbling a bit, making the boy close his eyes. His ears twitched a bit, as he was trying to find out the source of the sound.

"A couple moles...no, three maybe. They're about to surface." he said, jumping out of the coach.

"Whoa wait...those things are dangerous aren't they?" the girl cried, following after him. She aimed her bow in all directions, the glint of the arrow head shining in her eyes.

A loud screech was heard a second later. From the ground in front of the cart appeared a large mole like creature, black in color with several bald spots around its body. It's sharpened claws were extended, a sign that it was looking for a quick snack. It looked a lot bigger than he was expecting, so he knew it was a mother. The two others were most likely newborns. The girl was about to shoot it when he put his hand out.

"Don't, that'll just aggravate it...their fur is so thick, regular arrow heads won't pierce it. You'd be better off with bolts at this rate."

"Well I don't have bolts!" she snapped. He tugged on his weapon, pulling it from behind his cloak.

"I know, which is why I got this." he said, walking forward.

The weapon extended outward, creating a bit of a pole arm with what looked like a crimson hammer head on the top. He spun it around, simultaneously pulling a small leaver, which made the top part spring outward, with a loud _Shing_ , the blade extended.

The weapon itself was about a meter and a half in length. The head of the scythe curved outward, and was a bright crimson color. It had two small blades near the top of it, extending downward. The curved blade had a five foot reach, and was sharpened to a razor edge, all the way down to the point, which was black in color. The handle part of the scythe was long and thin, and very durable. It made it very light to carry and spin around. The bottom of the polearm had a dagger on it, which was used for stabbing purposes.

The thing that made this weapon unique was of course the fact that it was part firearm. The boy hadn't been expecting this to be a feature in it, but when he had discovered it, he felt the need to grin. It fired compressed spirit bullets, made from his own magical energy. In fact it was the only reason he bothered practicing magic, to increase his mana enough for him to use the weapon practically.

"You may want to steer clear." he said, glancing back at the black haired girl, who just looked at him oddly. The mole let out another screech, pulling itself out of the ground. The boy ran forward, holding the scythe behind him. He let out a single round, using the recoil to propel himself forward.

Spinning around, he let off another around, using the momentum to slash the mole across the chest. He spun around his heel, twirling the scythe around with ease, blocking the swipes the mole threw at him. He let out a chuckle as he jumped back, aiming his weapon at the ground. Letting off another round, he shot toward the mole, hooking the blade around its neck, spinning around it as if he were swinging from a tree. He planted his foot on the back of its head, and with a firm pull, sliced it clean off. He backflipped off the body, watching as it fell forward, bathing the path with blood.

He let out a breath, jumping back to avoid the two simultaneous slashes from the newborns. They're eyes were open yet, meaning they were relying on their hearing, which made them that much deadlier, if given the chance to return to the ground of course. The boy twirled his scythe above his head, spinning it so fast it looked almost like a blur. He took a firm hold of it, angling the blade.

"Palapon, grant me your strength. Let these souls rest in your eternal haven." he chanted, bringing the scythe down across the mole's torso. It let out a squeak as the top half of its body fell to the ground, a fountain of blood spraying the boy. The other one turned to run, but with a flick of the wrist, was killed by the weapon he had thrown.

He walked over to the creature, pulling the blade free from its skull, looking around the area. The Coach drivers and the girl were all looking at him stunned, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. He was about to say something when a gunshot tore through the silence. The boy's head snapped to the side, a bit of blood falling to the ground. He remained silent for a few seconds, spitting a bullet onto the ground. He rested his scythe on his shoulder, glancing over it into the forest.

"So, it was bandits after all...you spray pheromones on the path? Hoping you could score an easy cart? We're you thinking of killing these men? Raping this girl?" he asked. Several men came out of the forest, all of them aiming onyx colored firearms at him.

Unlike the Principality who had never seen weapons like these before, the Empire had been developing arms that fired lead bullets at people. Harnessing the power of magic and gunpowder, they had developed the first firearms for the empire, and were given only to those who belonged to the Imperial Army. They were called Gunner Squads. He had still been unable to figure out how they had gotten their hands on a design like that, no doubt something they had developed with the help of a person from the other side.

"Put your weapon down, all of you! Get on your knees or we will shoot!" a tall burly man, who he assumed was the leader cried out. The girl growled angrily, her aim still on the man nearest the boy. He fully turned around, causing everyone to aim at him. The saw the hole in his cheek slowly start sealing up, making his grin that much scarier.

"Now what do we have here? A Gunning Squad turned to petty thievery? Naughty naughty." he said.

"Open fire! Kill them all!" the man cried, shouldering his gun. They all opened fire on the boy, only to miss entirely. They heard the sound of his cloak and looked up, seeing him several meters in the air.

He let out a laugh as he spun his scythe around, throwing it at one of the gunmen, killing him instantly. He landed in a roll, reaching for his own rifle, snapping the stock in place. He pulled the trigger, sending his own hail of gunfire at the men. They all cried in pain as the bullets tore through their armor. Some of them ended up running back into the woods, using the trees as cover to avoid his fire. His magazine clicked empty, and he zoomed forward, grabbing a hold of his scythe.

He spun it around, throwing the body that was still impaled on it at one of the men who had taken a shot at him. He let out a cry of pain, stumbling back a bit. He pushed the body off himself and scrambled for his weapon, turning around only to meet the barrel of the boy's shotgun. He gave him a wink, pulling the trigger, splattering his brains all over the grass. He spun on his heel, flicking the gun downward to load the next round in. He rose it, blowing off one of the bandit's legs, with his second shot, he put him down for good.

"What...what the hell is this?" the leader cried out, looking at all of his fallen men. There were only three of them now, all of them shaking in fear from the boy's might.

"This? This is retribution! You wretched whelps think you can do whatever you fucking want, pillaging and taking, stealing and raping, it doesn't work that way. The fires of vengeance boil within this worn vestige. You'll rue the day you've crossed the Oracle of Retribution!" he replied, placing his shotgun back into his special holster.

"Holy shit...I've heard of this guy, he's really famous in the Principality...he's basically hailed as a hero." one man cried out.

"That's right...this guy is a a mercenary. He's Zachary Wayne, the Grim Reaper of Retribution!" the second, more terrified of the three cried.

"Tch...this kid is full of it, open fire dammit!"

"Hell no, I don't want to die!" one of them cried, breaking into a sprint up the path. Zack moved forward, turning into a red blur as he appeared before the man, slicing his legs clean off his body. He let out a scream as he fell to the ground, howling bloody murder.

"Requiescat In Pace." he said softly, slicing the man's head off his shoulders with a twist of his scythe. He flipped his scythe around, using an upward swing to impale the last gunner under the chin, his body twitched as it hung suspended, before the boy tossed it over his shoulder, landing in a heap on the ground.

"P-please...d-don't kill me. I don't want to die!" he cried, falling to his knees.

"You wanted to rape the girl right? I have ears like a hawk, I knew about you before I knew about the coach. I bet you had thoughts about taking her prisoner, forcing her to do your bidding, taking her maidenhood from her and making her your sex slave for the rest of her life, or until you got bored and killed her."

"T-that isn't true! We wanted to steal yes, but we didn't know about girl. Please let me go, I promise we'll never see each other." the man cried hysterically. Zack smiled, licking his lips.

"Sorry, I've already made a promise." he replied. The man let out a scream, and then silence once again filled the area. The top of his head gushed crimson with his blood as he fell back. The top of his head fell off, the sliced part of his brain falling to the ground in a pool of blood.

"Palapon, accept my retribution as an offering. I shall continue invoking my vengeance in your name, great lord of Revenge." he said firmly, bowing his head in prayer. He rose it a second later, flicking the blood off his blade as he returned it to its travel mode, placing it in his holster.

"Y-You killed them all." the driver said as he approached.

"And I didn't get a single drop of blood on my cloak." he said proudly.

"You're a monster! How could you kill like that without any remorse?" the girl cried. He chuckled, tilting his head in curiosity.

"My apologies dear...I didn't think showing remorse to petty thieves was commonplace here. He was going to rape you, and I think his life is much better than your virginity yes?" he asked. She flushed, giving him a nod.

"That man said your a Merc...is that true?" one of the driver's said. Zack gave him a nod.

"Zack Wayne, one of the best in the Principality. Worry not about the lives taken here, all of them are facing retribution in the fires of the underworld. I shall have to ask you to keep this between us. These men, were once soldiers of the Imperial Army...perhaps it would be prudent to arm yourselves against further attacks." he said.

"Y-yeah...I agree. Firearms are hard to come by, perhaps we could salvage the ones here." one of them said.

"A wise choice." Zack said.

He leaned back against the Coach, keeping an eye on the horses as the man grabbed all of the rifles from the ground, along with any spare ammunition the thieves were carrying on them. The black haired girl was leaning against the coach as well, standing a few meters away from him. She was hugging herself a bit, most likely thinking about what could have happened.

"This Empire is poisonous. Unlike the lands I am used to, this place is filled with much more strife. The fight for money drives people to do horrible things. The Imperial Soldiers are forced against their will to fight, leading them to defect. Without the cushy pay, they turn into vagrants, leading to what happened here." he said.

"I know that. I know the dangers of this place...it's not like our village wasn't attacked before...I just never witnessed people being killed before."

"I've had to watch people die, for the last five years, nothing has filled me with as much hatred as the people of this empire. Those that run scared long for a world of freedom, doing nothing to fight against the oppression presented to them. Former Emperor Ryoma ruled with an iron fist, and now his son is being taken advantage of by his Prime Minister. It's no wonder the Revolutionary Army was formed." he said.

"You know...seeing you like this...it makes me believe you are part of them."

"You're too far from the truth my dear... I've got my own reasons for doing what I do. Even my own family wasn't spared from the grief of this Empire and its rule. We sought refuge in the Principality, only to meet the same fate. No matter where you go in this world, you are never free...always remember that." He said.

"Sayo."

"Hmm?" he glanced at her, seeing the bright smile on her face. The breeze had picked up, moving her hair a bit.

"My name...as opposed to _dear_ and _my_ _lady_? I never really liked that stuff you know, but I guess it's okay. Call me that from now on though." she said firmly.

"Lady Sayo...it's a pleasure to meet you, you may call me Zack. Apologies for the formalities, my mother raised me to be kind to the ladies." he said, giving her a wink.

"We're ready to go, we salvaged a lot of ammunition, if you are in need of some, help yourself." the driver said, placing the two sacks and all of the rifles into the back of the Coach.

"I've got plenty, thank you. I hope this stuff actually does help...let's be on our way." he said, jumping back onto the cart. He held his hand out, helping Sayo climb onto it once more. With a loud whinny, the horses were on their way.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City, The Empire xxx**_

"Wow, this place is huge!" Sayo exclaimed, eyes widening in amazement.

The Imperial City was the largest settlement in the country. It was surrounded by large stone walls, spanning hundreds of meters into the air, giving the guards a good view of the surrounding forest. The inner city was divided into many districts. The Imperial Palace was separated by another wall, which surrounded the entirety of the castle grounds. The houses were made of either brick or wood, though wooden houses were more common in lower income areas.

"Well, we've brought you here safe and sound, and thanks to you we've got our full inventory with us." the driver said.

"It was nothing...if there's anything I hate in this world, it's fuckin bandits. I've got a small gift for you two though, get yourself an armored carriage, and some armor for the horses too, so nothing happens on the road." he said, handing them a small bag with more platinum coins.

"Sir, we can't accept this...are you insane? This much Platinum is enough to buy yourself a small villa!" the man said.

"Don't worry about it, I just want you two to be safe whenever you travel. I can tell this is the only thing that keeps your village afloat, and I would hate it if the two of you ended up loosing your wares or worse." he said.

"Thank you sir, we are in your debt...if you ever need a ride anywhere, do not hesitate to seek us." the man said. Zack gave them a wave as they took off toward the western entrance of the city, where the market place was located.

"Hey Zack, do you think you could come with me to the Army Recruiting office?" Sayo asked, causing the boy to frown.

"Even with all of the stuff going on, you're still planning on joining the army?"

"It's the only way to make a steady income. Me and my friends agreed to come here, but we were separated along the way. I was thinking of getting some local work while I wait for them. It's only been two days, so their either already here or really close." she said.

"Well, I gotta go there anyway, so I can collect my payment." he said, earning a nod from her. He started walking into the city, heading through the crowded streets.

Sayo was looking around with a look of wonder, but also remained rather closed to Zack, for obvious reasons. Many young men had tried hitting on her, but one look from him drove them off. The went into another less crowded street, which was a little more open. He spotted the recruitment office, along with the long line outside of it, and walked toward it, standing behind an armored man.

"There's a lot of people here." Sayo said softly, earning a nod from Zack.

"All of them fools for entering this hellhole. The pay may look good, but I would never join this corrupt Empire." he replied, his face firm. Sayo frowned, wanting to say something, but she knew the boy had his reasons...if those bandits from the path were an example, she would hate to see just how bad everything truly was.

The line started moving rather fast, especially because a lot of people kept getting tossed out. It wasn't long before the two had found themselves inside the office. It was a rather small building, filled with a couple Imperial Guards, and a lot of people filling out paperwork. There was a middle aged man sitting behind a desk, wearing a turtle neck, his mustache being well groomed. The black haired teen walked up to him, not bothering to lower his hood.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" he asked, a bored tone in his voice. He reached into his cloak, pulling out three folded papers from within. He handed them to the man, who looked at them over.

"Claiming the Bounty on these three eh?" the man said, placing the papers on the desk. There was a crimson stamp over each one, the words, Kill Confirmed being on their faces, along with the signature of the official where the request had been filed.

"I got these three outside of Italica in the Principality, apparently they thought fleeing the Empire was a good idea...you don't need to see their heads or anything right? Because I didn't bring them."

"No no, we received the message from this official by courier pigeon, so we are already aware of the confirmed kills. Wait here while I get your reward." the man said, standing up from his seat.

"Did you seriously kill three men?" Sayo asked softly.

"Course...these three were worth 1,500 gold coins all together...that's quite a boon for me you know." he said, earning a wide eyed look from the girl. The attendant came back, carrying a medium sized leather pouch filled to the brim with coins. He stamped a small paper, handing him a pen. He scrawled his name on it, accepting the payment.

"Here you are, one Platinum and Five Hundred Gold. Thank you for your service lad, don't spend that all in one place." he said. He stepped aside, allowing Sayo to speak with the man.

"I'd like to join the army...if you have spots of course." she said happily.

"Hmm...do you have what it takes little lady? What's your experience with a sword?" the man asked, looking her over.

"I...don't have one. I'm an archery, I'm the best in my village!"

"That's what they all say. Take the poncho off, I need to assess your body type." the man said. Zack rose a brow, a confused look on his face.

"The hell do you need to do that for?" he asked.

"It's standard protocol sir, there are many female soldiers in our army, but not all of them are the same. Most are rapier users, like our own General Esdeath. The Prime Minister has set out certain requirements for females that wish to join the army." he said simply.

"Whatever, I guess that makes sense. Here Zack, hold these for me." Sayo said, handing him her body and quiver. The boy took a hold of them, slinging the quiver over his shoulder. He looked at the bow, humming to himself.

" _Well made bow, durable string made from dried boar entrails, and the wood is made from light wood, but still durable so it doesn't break easily."_ he thought to himself, giving the string a few firm tugs.

"I don't think you're gonna cut it miss. You look like you can handle simple hunts, but you don't have what it takes to get through the training." the man said. Zack glanced up, seeing the pissed look on Sayo's face.

She was wearing a rather beautiful kimono, woven from the finest silk he had seen in awhile. It had been died a light lavender color, and had white flower prints around the waist area. Around her waist was a royal purple sash, tied tightly around her waist into a bow behind her back. She wore long white stockings and black leather boots. He had seen this outfit a few times, usually worn by village maidens. If Sayo was indeed the maiden of her village, she had a lot of balls for wanting to join the army.

"I'll have you know sir, I can handle myself. I can shoot a flea in the ass from two hundred meters away. My aim with a bow is much better than anyone elses. Ten times better than a person with a sword anyway." she said firmly.

"Young lady, do you know how many people have walked through that door and said the same thing? All of you country bumpkins are the same...hell there was a kid just like you swinging a sword at me yesterday, and I tossed his ass out. So unless you want to meet the same fate, you'll come back here when you can hold a sword. Next!" he called out. Sayo growled angrily, flicking her hair over her shoulder, wrapping the poncho around her shoulders again.

Someone let out a scream, a dull thud filling the area for a split second. They all turned to Zack, who had been standing there with a sheepish grin on his face. There was a single arrow stabbed right into the ceiling. He cleared his throat, holding Sayo's bow behind his back.

"Someone should tell those archers not to use their bows inside. Well, time to go Sayo, thank you for your time." he said, taking the girl's hand, pulling her out of the office.

"Ugh...can you believe the nerve of that guy? He didn't let me join just because I didn't have the right body time. I'm an archer, my strength comes from my arms." she said.

"It was a good thing you didn't get accepted. You would have most likely gone through some horrible training, day in and day out, just so you could have enough to survive. Then you would probably be put on the Military Police, which is the most corrupt part of this empire." he said.

"Yeah, but even a job with the Military Police beats doing nothing...also give me my bow back. Thanks to that little show back there, I'm an arrow short." she said, taking her weapon back from the boy.

"Sorry, I'll buy you some more if we pass by the forge. Maybe get you some bolts too. If anything, you can get yourself some armor and become a bounty hunter...that stuff pays really well." Zack said.

"Tch...I would never kill another human being. No matter how terrible the crime, especially for something as petty as money. The only reason I would kill would be in self defense." she said firmly.

"News flash honey, what do you think the Imperial Army does? They aren't going to other cities to collect butterflies and unicorns. You get deployed and you'll be subjugating other lands. In fact, two of the well known generals in this Empire are currently away, fighting with the rebel armies." he said firmly.

"Right...that man said the name Esdeath...do you know who she is?" Sayo asked. Zack chuckled, glancing back at the black haired girl.

"Someone you don't want to fuck with. You do anything to piss her off, and your dead, no ifs ands or buts about it." he said, continuing his walk into the city.

They arrived at one of the open streets within the capital, an area filled with various bars, restaurants and inns. Sayo started looking around, spotting the entrance to the market place not that far from where they stood. Zack glanced at his pocket watch, seeing it was already half past five in the evening. The sun would start setting soon, and it wouldn't be good to be caught outside during the night.

"Um, Zack...you've been to the city before right? Do you know where I could stay for cheap? I don't have that much money after the first bandits attacked me and my friends." Sayo said, earning a nod from the boy.

"There's an inn around here called Rosemary. They rent rooms for five gold coins a night, ten if you want breakfast included...it's near the entrance to the market place." he said, pointing toward one of the buildings. She sighed, reaching into her pocket, seeing the four golden coins she had left.

"Well, guess it's the streets for me tonight. What a pain in my ass, walked all the way here, got robbed, and had to take a cart the rest of the way. Damn bandits." she hissed. Zack rolled his eyes, reaching into his pouch, withdrawing the platinum coin from within. He handed off the rest of the gold to Sayo, who looked at it with widened eyes.

"What...what are you doing?" she asked.

"It's a loan sweetheart, take this money and use it to get yourself a good room for the night. You should be off for a few days until you can find work...a lot of people have... _left_ their jobs, so there are jobs available."

"Zack I...thank you...this means a lot to me. You saved me out on the road, and now you're giving me this money...I don't know how I'll pay you back." she said, a warm smile on her face. He chuckled, glancing away for a second.

"It's fine...I can't let a pretty girl sleep out in the streets you know. Word of advice though, this city...it isn't as cracked up as it is to be. There's a lot of strife here, and a lot of corruption, trust no one but yourself. You might be facing the sharp end of a broadsword if you don't, and I would hate to see you get hurt. Oh, and if someone offers you lodgings in their house, and it isn't an inn, don't trust them, under any circumstance. Oh, and if you get a job working as a maid somewhere, make your own food." he said firmly.

"Um...alright. You're being overly cautious aren't you?" she asked.

"You have to be...you saw those bandits, willing to kill anyone to steal anything. They were willing to do horrible things to you...if I hadn't been there, I would hate to know what could have happened to you. Sayo, it's been a pleasure...we'll meet again, of this I'm sure." he said, giving her a kiss on the back of her hand. She blushed brightly, looking away from him.

"Sure...stay safe okay?" she said. He nodded, and continued walking away. Sayo sighed, and turned around, heading toward the inn he had pointed out. She had a firm grip on her bow now.

" _If he told me to be careful in this place, it's for a reason...I heard a lot of things on the road, about how the Imperial City was a bad place to be. But it's the only way I'll save my village. I'll find a good job, work an honest life and send money back home. If I can't join the army, then I'll just have to work somewhere else. Trust no one but myself, and my friends."_

She sighed, looking at the rapidly darkening sky. Her stomach grumbled a bit, and she bit her lip. It had been hours since she had eaten anything. The last snack she had was from the cart she had gotten passage from, and that was an apple and some juice. She glanced at the market place, not far from the inn. She smiled a bit.

" _Well, I do have money...I can afford to buy some food. The Village Elder said there was this good place that sold crumpets, and God knows I love those!"_ she thought cheerfully, walking toward the market with a spring in her step.

Zack continued his walk toward one of the plazas near the main street. It was the place he had agreed to meet one of his friends. It had been awhile since he had seen them due to his trip to his home in the Principality. As it turned out, someone who had stolen some information from the Revolutionary Army had been heading back to the capital to hand it over to the authorities. It had fallen to his shoulders to take him out. He had been expecting someone strong, but not an entire regimen of soldiers. All of them fell to the might of his scythe, and the papers had been disposed of.

The plaza was quite large, and crawling with people. He saw a few members of the Imperial Police doing some rounds, while a few other businessmen went out with their friends for a drink. There were a couple restaurants in this area, though they were mostly confectionaries. He walked toward the large oak tree in the center of the plaza, which had been dedicated so some noble twenty years in the past. The small area around it also acted as a park.

Leaning up against it was a hooded person. Outwardly, one couldn't see a single detail about them due to the cloak they had been wearing. But by the body shape, one could tell it was a young woman. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, and brown leather boots. He glanced around, waiting for the Imperial Police to walk past before making his way over to the tree.

He leaned up against it, the birds that were inside it instantly took off, the flaps of their wings filling the area. It had been over taken by the sound of moving carts, whinnying horses and playing kids overtook it. The young woman glanced over her shoulder slightly, part of her long blonde locks coming from the cloak. Like him, she wore a mask, only it was on the left side of her face. It kept most of her features hidden, though she had done it for aesthetic purposes, Zack had done it for another reason. She let out a small giggle, closing her eyes.

" _On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;_

 _And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming."_ she said, earning a smirk from the boy.

" _And the lamp-light o'er him streaming_

 _Throws his shadow on the floor;_

 _ **And my soul from out that shadow lies floating on the floor**_

 _ **Shall be lifted-Nevermore!"**_

Zack let out a chuckle, turning his head away, facing the cafe not far from where he stood. The young woman did the same, both of them trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, though to them it didn't matter. There was no officer or captain in sight, and the sun had already fallen below the wall of the capital, the skies still being their beautiful violets and purples.

"Have you had time to scan the area?" Zack asked softly.

"I have, two targets have been located in the old business district. They're lieutenants of a well known bandit ring. They were once Imperials who have turned into criminals, and are now responsible for pushing drugs into the city. I haven't found their suppliers yet." she replied.

"Oh? A bandit ring? Did they have an affinity for guns?" he asked curiously. The woman gave him a slight nod, a playful smirk tugging her lips.

"Did you already run into his buddies? Aw, you should have left one or two of them for me. It sucks that they had to send me ahead of you. But I don't make the shots. The operation is two days, we're to stick around after our mission is complete, to relay our reports to our contact."

"Thanks for the information. I got a couple targets of my own, there's a rapist going around taking advantage of drunken women and little girls who get lost in the city. Anyone else pique your interest?"

"No one as interesting as that. Well then Raven, you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be Crow. I'll lead the way, try not to get us caught." she said, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Excuse me, I wasn't the one who turned the traitor flag on the Empire. Besides, we wear the masks for a reason." he said firmly. She giggled clenching her fist, the last of the suns light shining on her gauntlet.

"I wear it because we match, it is you who has a reason for it, a reason you haven't told me yet. Let's hurry, and use the cover of night to hide our trail...oh, get those posters for me, while you're at it." she said. He nodded, reaching for the wall as he passed, pulling the wanted posters from the wall. He crumpled them in his hand and tossed them in the nearby trash can. One of them however fell out, unfolding slightly, revealing the mark of a Raven with a crimson colored eye on it.


	2. Kill the Darkness

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter two of Akame Ga Kill Blood Rain. I got a lot of positive reviews for the first chapter, which is very very good. So I decided to go ahead and post chapter two, which is 40 pages long. I was trying not to make it uberly long, but you know me, when I get into it, I go hard or I go home. Or I go hard at home since I post that stuff from home...hehe..**

 **Last chapter you all met Ru...I mean Zack, and learned a bit about him. I will say, that you will know his reasons for joining Night Raid later on. Originally since this was crossed over with Gate, he was going to be an Apostle to the God Palapon, the god of revenge, but I amended that, I did leave the prayers he did to the god since I couldn't exactly remove them, I also removed everything that tied it to the world of Gate to make it more Akame Ga Kill. So if you see anymore references to that, do ignore them. This chapter, you get to see Zack and Cornelia take out some targets, as well as some other actiony stuff. So I hope you all enjoy it.**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 2

Kill the Darkness

The old business district had been a lively area at one point in time. During the rule of the previous Emperor, it had been filled with various men and women, all of them seeking to start businesses within the city. Investors and stock holders would come from near and far to seek the better life within the capital. However, as soon as the previous Emperor passed away, his son Makoto had taken over. The lad was only seven years old, so his position was mostly ceremonial. The true mastermind of the Empire's horrible standings was the current Prime Minister.

The man was named Honest, and he had been the worst thing to happen to the Empire. As soon as he had taken office, new policies had been approved, causing hundreds of businesses to close down. A new Business district had been built, and all of the ones in the old district had been forced out of the country, as they were not from the Empire's origin. Anyone who was of Tribal Blood was also pushed away from the capital and prevented from starting businesses, though that law had been amended.

The Prime Minister and the rest of the Diet were all people who had their own interests and didn't care about the people at all. They were all power hungry bastards who cared only about themselves. They lived the soft and easy life while everyone else suffered their actions. This event went as far as wrongfully accusing people and sentencing them to death, something that was most popular in the capital. If anyone pissed Minister Honest off, they were executed without a fair trial, and that was one thing that really pissed Zack off.

It was why people like him and his friend existed. People who were driven to extremes. They committed crimes to the good of the people, like him who often times tracked down bandits and killed them off, giving their money to the poor who they had stolen from. It was why he had no problems with giving his earnings to Sayo, because he could easily get more, and money was something he didn't need with his current employment.

"Zack, over here."

He glanced up at his friend, who was pointing to an abandoned building. He dashed toward the shadows, pressing himself against the building, an old trade house. Some of the lights were on within the other buildings, as some were rented to people for cheap. Others had been turned into makeshift homes, while others used them for shady business deals. They stopped at the edge of the building, glancing around the darkened yard. Thanks to the other building, the entirety of the back lot was dark, with few patches of lights from the nearby lanterns.

"Nelly, are you sure this is the way?" he asked softly. The girl glanced at him, glaring at him, her soft blue eyes staring into his own green ones.

"Who's the one that knows this empire like the back of her hand? Who's the one that's been hunting these fucks down for two weeks?"

"Who's the one that's currently on the run for treason?" he deadpanned. She punched him in the arm, thankfully not with her gauntlet.

"I'm sure okay. We're just using the darkness to hide us better, remember to hide your killing intent this time, the last time this happened we were almost discovered. I'm just glad it wasn't in the capital, or we would have been mobbed easily." she said softly.

This girl was his partner most of the time, mostly because of their history. Zack himself had been fleeing his home town at the border of the Principality and the Empire, as his parents had been killed by Imperial Soldiers. He had been separated from his sister along the way and hadn't seen her since. He knew she was alive, due to some sightings and other rumors, but he was never sure.

He had been found by a captain from the Revolutionary Army, and had been taken to one of their many camps. He had honestly hated it there, all of the rescued kids were obnoxious in his opinion, and none of them had wanted to be his friend. All that he wanted was to get revenge on the ones who destroyed his life, who killed everyone in his village and kidnapped the children. There had been so much killing intent coming from him that the captain that had rescued him, trained him personally.

He had been trained in hand to hand, and how to use guns. With his shotgun he was a deadly force, and his rifle made him the best in handling group combat. But his true calling was his scythe, and the weapon that had gotten him the title of Grim Reaper. It was an Imperial Arm, created by the first Emperor of the Empire, over a thousand years in the past.

Its name was The Crimson Thorn: Crescent Rose. It had been a mixture of experimental technology with magic. It was a scythe, capable of transforming into a high powered sniper rifle. It operated in two ways, by channeling mana from his body in conjunction with his spirit energy, or by using .50 caliber bullets, which he often times smithed himself to save the trouble of going to a store in the capital.

The blade had been created by a mixture of wrought iron, steel and a precious metal named orichilcum. It was why his blade was so deadly. Crescent Rose had the ability to cut through nearly anything with great force. It was the perfect Mid ranged, close ranged and long ranged weapon. A transforming weapon with many great advantages and disadvantages. One of them being how tired he could get if he used it for too long without resting.

Many had tried out Crescent Rose only to fail completely. Either the weapon failed to deploy, or the person was unable to pick it up. The weapon however seemed to sense his bloodlust and his wish for vengeance, and had fully deployed for the first time in four hundred years. When his captain had asked him to use it, he had impressed her. Already knowing how to use a spear, the boy had used those skills in order to successfully use the weapon.

Since then, he and Crescent Rose had been together. It was also around that time when he met Cornelia. She had been running away from the Empire, after realizing just how corrupt it had been. She had been trained by an Imperial Knight to become a powerful assassin, fulfilling missions for the empire, and successfully eliminating the enemies that threatened the Minister. However when she had been given a mission to kill one of her friends, who had long since deserted them, she couldn't take it. So she had run off the second she had the chance, taking her Shingu with her.

Unlike Teigu, Shingu were weapons created by the Empire 400 years in the past, in order to surpass the fabled Teigu. They were weapons that often times gave their users immense strength and various other reflexes. The one she had been given had been called Crushing King, a gauntlet with the ability to pulverize anything in its path. It even went toe to toe with a Teigu and survived the battle. However, Cornelia had said that the previous owner of it had lost their arm due to using it improperly. It was a weapon that he didn't want to get near, especially because she had said she'd crush his nuts with it.

"You're awfully quiet...something on your mind?" Cornelia asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Yeah, actually. I was just hoping to know what day you'd like to show me your rack. I'm long since overdue." he said. She hissed, clenching her hand a bit, her Shingu whirling a bit as it started activating.

"Kidding, I'm kidding! I was thinking about the day we met." he said. She nodded, deactivating the weapon. Zack let out a sigh, letting go of Crescent Rose's handle, which retracted back into the weapon.

"We were both fourteen, in a refuge camp for the Revolutionary Army. I recall you beat a kid's face in because he said your sister was probably a sex slave. You know it was sort of entertaining, I honestly thought you were gonna kill him." she mused, giving him a smirk.

"Yeah, well I was a second away from it. I had my knife on his throat, if it wasn't for Najenda, I damn well would have." he said.

"Back when she was a Captain, those were the days eh? I was a fugitive, you were seeking revenge against the Empire, we were a match made in hell. You even took down a bandit ring on your own just so you could prove yourself to everyone." She said.

"That was the reason I was picked for this job my lady. I've lost a great number of friends, but I'm glad you've lived the longest."

"Aw, I'm so honored. Maybe I will entertain the idea of showing you my rack, but you have to prove yourself to me." she said, giving him a wink.

"Well, if seeing your tits is my driving force for this mission, then I better work my ass off. Let's shake on it, so you won't pull bullshit on me." he said. She smirked, putting her hand out, Crushing King was glowing slightly.

"Oh you bitch, you had no intention of shaking on it, did you?" he said, earning a giggle from her.

"Course not, look lively, we're almost there." she said.

" _Pfft...at least I get to look at that ass of hers."_ he mused, following his friend through another dark lot.

They reached a large plaza of sorts, which had been reserved for a corporation building. It was an olden style building, built like an ancient tower. It had crimson red tiles, dirtied with age, along with some paper lanterns which were torn from the wind. Some of the lower floors were completely dark, the only areas being lit being the stairwells. There were a pair of armed men at the front entrance, as well as on the other floors. Some of them were doing rounds, while others were speaking among each other, having a smoke.

"What's the plan Nelly?" he asked softy. She sighed, glancing around the area.

"Those guards and gunmen aren't targets, but there's nothing in the dossier saying we can't kill them. It might be a wise idea if we do, the less people we deal with, the better." she said. He nodded, reaching for his right bracer. He pulled the leather cover of of it, tossing it aside.

"I'll take the two from the bottom out, we'll use that building there to hide and then make our way up the stairs, we'll stay silent and deadly." he said, earning a nod from her. He gave the metal gear a twist, springing out the small wrist mounted bow.

"A Phantom Blade, nice. When did you make master assassin?" she asked softly.

"Please, I was a master before you were even born." he said, giving her a wink.

He pulled the string back and set it, drawing another blade from the pouch behind his back. He took aim at the guard on the right, flexing his muscles. The bow string snapped forward, launching the knife right into the guard's jugular. He reached for his throat, falling to his knees as a gurgle could be heard. The other guard walked over to him to see what was wrong, when he knelt down to look at the man, he saw the blade in his throat. He took a deep breath, about to call out when a blade lodged itself in the side of his head.

"Nice. By your call." Nelly said, earning a nod from him as he folded his Phantom Blade away. He placed another blade in it, extending it a few times to make sure it didn't pop off. They shimmied along the building, using the shadows to blend into the night.

They checked the two men, just to make sure both of them were dead, before moving into the darkened building. It didn't bother either of them knowing that they couldn't see well. They had been fighting in the dark for so long that the two had developed night vision of sorts. They slowly made their way up the stairs, moving so quickly that they weren't even heard. Due to the design of the building, one had to walk through every floor to access the stairwell. It had been the worst design in Zack's opinion, but he had no say in the matter.

Reaching the second floor, he pressed himself against the wall, peeking around the corner. He saw a guard making his way toward him. He waited for him to get close, and grabbed a hold of his shirt. He let out a surprised yelp before finding a blade lodged in his throat. Zack slowly lowered the body as to not make noise. He looked up, only to see Cornelia grab another guard. She pressed him into the wall, slamming her right arm right into his face, caving his entire head in.

"Jeez, mind being a little quieter?" he hissed.

"Oh calm down, I didn't shake the entire building did I? It's a good thing my cloak is reversible, if this was the white side, I would be pissed." she said, cleaning the blood from her gauntlet with a handkerchief.

They knelt down as they continued making their way up the hallway, taking out a pair of guards near the stairwell. Zack looted the money from both of them, along with the cigarettes one of them was carrying. He pulled one of the black sticks from within and placed it in his mouth, lighting the end with a match, which he tossed aside. He took a drag from it, passing it to Cornelia who did the same.

"First one to finish it keeps the pack." she said softly, exhaling the smoke. He took the cigarette back, taking a drag of his own. They made their way up the stairs.

One of the guards was about to go down, and let out a yelp as Zack slammed him into the wall. He drove his knee into his gut, causing him to fall to the ground. He pulled a dagger from his back and drove it straight through the back of the man's head, pulling it back out with ease, sending blood through the air.

"What was that, I heard a thud!" a man said. Zack handed the cigarette off to Cornelia, waiting for the other guard to walk around the corner. He threw the blade, embedding it right into the man's eye. He fell back, simultaneously letting off a burst of gunfire.

"Shit."

"Nice going dumb ass."

"It wasn't my fault Nelly, sheesh!" he hissed.

The girl grabbed the rifle off the ground, and brought it to her shoulder, shooting the other guards that were running at her. She quickly turned around, jabbing the smoking barrel into one man's throat, causing him to scream and gurgle in pain. A swift shot from a pistol ended his life. Zack picked up all of the spare ammunition for the gun he had recovered, shoving it in his pocket.

"No use going in quiet anymore." he said, pulling out his own rifle.

"Because of you, dumb ass." Cornelia replied, scrounging up all of the magazines from the deceased men. Once she was ready, they moved on toward the fourth floor.

Throwing caution to the wind, they raced up the stairs, firing at all of the guards that got in their way. Zack bashed the stock of his gun into a nearby guard, throwing him off the balcony. He stopped to exchange magazines, being pushed aside by his partner who gunned down another guard.

"Thanks Nelly, you saved my ass."

"Of course, there's no one better to save a man's ass than a woman." she said, making him roll his eyes. They continued up the stairs, reaching the final floor. They continued walking toward the end of the hallway.

Taking out the last of the men, the two assassins reached the final door, keeping them from their targets. With a nod, they kicked the doors in, opening fire on the gathering of men that stood behind them and the door.

A fierce firefight broke out, something that neither had been expecting. They heard shouts from the other side of the room, their two targets were issuing orders. Zack and Cornelia knew they had nowhere to go. There was no other way but the front door, since they were too high to jump. The only thing left for them was to either kill the assassins, which would never happen, and face death. The blonde girl let go of her now useless rifle, pulling a small ball from her pocket. She gave Zack a nod and threw it into the room. A thick sheet of smoke started filling the room a second later.

"Gah...what is this?!"

"It's a smokescreen, we can't see shit!"

"Well keep shooting! We're bound to hit them at some point!"

Zack smiled as he shot into the room, drawing Crescent Rose. He spun the scythe around, deflecting all of the gunfire aimed at him. He used the flashing of the muzzles to figure out where each shooter had been positioned. One by one, each of them had been sliced in half, either at the waist, diagonally or straight up beheaded. The smoke started clearing, and the boy grinned, spinning his scythe around, flicking the blood from the blade.

"Galynth Dysly, Hugo Strange, both of you are sentenced to death for your crimes against the people. Trafficking drugs, selling them to minors, prostitution rings, murder and many other disgusting crimes. You shall pay for what you have done in blood!" he said, the last of the smoke faded away, revealing the terrified faces of the two targets.

Dysly was a man in his early sixties, with short white hair that fell to the nape of his neck. He was wearing a firmly pressed business suit, black in color with a bright blue tie. He was holding a black pistol in his hand, his aim shaky as he pointed it at Zack.

Similarly, Strange was dressed in a lab coat, wearing a pair of thin glasses on his face. His bald head had a slight sheen of sweat, and he had a look of nervousness in his face. He had a gun pointed at the boy as well, though his aim wasn't at all shaky. Though he looked nervous, he had an odd sense of calm about the whole situation.

Before him was a large table, stacked with hundreds of small bags, filled with drugs. There was a large stack of gold bars, platinum coins and golden coins as well. Several tables had been over turned and used as makeshift shields, all of them torn apart by their gunfire. Dysly let out a laugh, his shoulders shaking a bit which each one.

"This little shit is the one I was alerted of? He's just a kid!" the man said.

"Careful there Galynth, he's wearing a mask...he sounds a lot like that kid my boys were talking about." Strange said.

"You mean this is the masked mercenary killing our bandits?"

"I am...I'm sure you already know this, but if you don't then listen up. Me and my partner are from the Revolutionary Army, and we're going to end the strife within this country. The Empire's rule will end by our hands." he said.

"Oi, stop the theatrics and kill them already, we're on the clock." Cornelia said, making the boy frown.

"I'll be damned if I get killed by a twat like you!" Dysly cried, pulling the trigger of his gun. Zack dodged it entirely, slicing his arm clean off. The man let out a scream, blood gushing from the severed limb. Zack quickly spun his scythe around, driving the tip of it straight into the man's genitals.

"Requiescat In Pace." he said, pulling the blade upward, slicing the man clean in half. Strange didn't bat an eye, but he did gulp audibly. He glanced at the ground, seeing the pool of blood coming from his now deceased friend.

"What is it that you want Night Raid? What will it take for you to let me live?" the man asked, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

"You think we can be bought? I've already turned traitor against the kingdom, there is nothing you can do to make me defect the honorable side. No amount of money, drugs or vast riches will make me change my mind." Cornelia said.

"Besides, we're gonna take your money anyway asshole. So I hope you've made your peace!" Zack said, pulling his scythe back. Strange pulled the trigger, three swift shots aimed at his chest.

"Zack!" Cornelia cried, eyes widening in shock. Strange took this chance to reload his gun, raising it against the blonde. He felt a sharp stab in his leg and noticed the silver blade sticking out of it. He looked up in time, only to see an incoming fist. He slammed back into the wall, his head swimming with pain.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled." the blonde said, uppercutting the main with her gauntlet. His head flew clean off his shoulders, a stream of blood shooting with it. The head embedded itself into the ceiling, the shock expression still upon Strange's face.

"Ahugh...dammit! I hate being shot!" the boy said, pulling the bullets from the thick leather vest he had been wearing.

"Good thing that shit is made with diamond dust, I doubt you would have survived otherwise. Let's get out of here, our mission is complete." she said. The boy nodded, grabbing his Teigu from the ground, placing it in his holster. He gathered up all of the money and placed it into the bags. The last thing he did was grab a bottle of whiskey from the table. He fashioned a molotov from it, holding it out to the blonde.

"You do the honors my lady." he said, giving her a wink. She smirked, pulling out a zippo lighter, igniting the cloth.

"This is honestly the best part of the job." she said, throwing the bottle at the table. It quickly caught flame, igniting all of the drugs that sat on it. The fire quickly spread, overtaking the room. The two assassins took their leave, quickly exiting the building. Once they had, they found themselves a secluded spot, and waited for the local fire squad to come deal with the fire.

"So, what do we do with the money?" Cornelia asked, earning a smile from the boy.

"We'll put one hundred golden coins and one platinum coin on every doorstep in the slums...then we'll rendezvous with Lubbock at the library." he said, earning a nod from the blonde.

 _ **xxx**_

"So, both were confirmed dead?"

"That's right, we took care of them easily. You should have seen it, Strange's head got stuck in the ceiling from how hard Nelly punched him." Zack said, setting down his glass.

"What? He had it coming for cooking up meth and having a prostitution ring. Aside from the bandits, which Zack already eliminated, there's only one target left, the rapist he mentioned."

"Oh really? This is the first I'm hearing of this." Lubbock said, glancing at Zack who had a smirk on his face.

Lubbock was a young man of eighteen, with shoulder length green hair. He was wearing a bright green coat, over a white tee shirt. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and matching brown boots. Atop his head sat a pair of red goggles, which he used mostly for style. He was wearing a pair of leather gloves, which were part of his Teigu. The top of the gloves had a metal spindle, which had thin metallic strings attached to the metal claws at his finger tips. The name of this Imperial Arm was Cross-Tail, and it gave the user the ability to control metal thread, even going as far as creating weapons out of them.

"I heard rumors while I was walking through town. Bad enough we got a serial killer, but also a rapist? I had to take him down, but he only comes out on certain nights, Thursdays I believe, and guess what tomorrow is?" he asked, earning a smirk from his friend.

"Fine, if you feel the need to slay the bastard do it. Anything to protect the ladies of this town." he said with a grin, earning a fist to the head from Cornelia.

"You haven't changed a damn bit. I was gone from the HQ for two months tracking down these two assholes, you could have dropped the perverted act." she said.

"I'll drop the perverted act when you let me give you a kiss." he said.

"Hey now, we all agreed Nelly is my girl to court, besides you got Najenda, and it would be wrong to go behind her back." Zack said, finishing the last of his drink.

"Ugh...you guys are two peas in a pod. I'm gonna crash for the night, you owe me those cigs Crow, don't you forget it." she said. The boy tossed her the pack of cigarettes he had scored, which she caught with ease.

"Try not to smoke them all before the next mission, it's gonna be a long hunt to find that fucker." he said. She gave him a two fingered salute before heading into the guest room.

"Reports came in from the General, the scouts reported what was going on in that mansion. Those aristocrats are going down for sure. Najenda wants everyone in that mission, including you and Cornelia." Lubbock said, earning a nod from Zack.

"You're lucky I made it into town today. I would have been delayed another day by those bandits if I hadn't scored a ride here." he replied. He gave him a nod, watching as the black haired boy took off his cloak, undoing the leather vest he was wearing. He placed it down on the couch, taking off his shirt, careful not to take his mask off.

"Ah damn, you get shot?" the green haired teen asked, noticing the three welts on Zack's toned chest. The boy nodded, poking them with his fingers.

"You wanna know something, I've been in Night Raid two years already, and this is the first time I got shot."

"I know, doesn't Crescent Rose give you increased speed?" he asked.

"Well yeah, it's a passive ability though. The magic that was used to enchant it does give me enhanced speed and durability, but if I use it too much then I'll run out of stamina, and that's the last thing I need happening on a mission." he said.

"I wasn't expecting an Imperial Arm like that...Najenda said they had it for years and no one was capable of using it, until you came along. That's one special weapon! Anyway, I'm gonna hit the sack, gotta get up early and open the library, you know how it is." he said.

"Yup, I'm gonna take a shower before bed, I sure as hell need it after that mission." he said.

"Goodnight!" his friend called out, leaving the room. Zack wished his friend a good night and headed down the other hall, going into the guest room briefly to grab some spare night clothes.

" _It's good that Night Raid has this hidden base beneath the Library. It would suck if we had to leave and head back to the main base to change and stuff. Man, it feels good to finally relax, and sleep in a damn mattress!"_ He said, ducking into the bathroom.

The next day, Zack decided to take a walk through town to ease his mind. He had told Lubbock he would check in around the early afternoon. He had been wanting to get more information on the rapist that was going around, so he had decided to head toward the slums, where most of this stuff was happening. He was almost expecting one of his other friends to be walking around like she always did but he was surprised not to see her. Most likely because she, like the rest of his comrades was most likely preparing for the mission.

As he was about to turn into the side street that would take him to the slums, he heard a cheerful laugh not far from where he stood. He turned around, seeing a rather large stage coach stopped in front of a popular store. He saw two men, struggling to hold all of the packages that had been purchased from the store. There was also a rather familiar face staring at a dress in the store next door.

A young blonde girl, about fourteen years of age, with curly blonde hair. She had fair colored skin and bright blue eyes, and a smile that would enchant anyone she met. She was wearing a fancy gown, long white sleeves lined with light blue thread, a black bodice tied behind the back, and a long flowing skirt that almost went down to her ankles. She was wearing a pair of white boots.

This young woman was well known in these parts as the girl from a rich businessman, who worked closely with the Minister. She was also the target he and his friends were going to take down the following day. Even now that she looked like a cheerful teenage girl, she had a sick twisted mind, capable of doing horrible things. Rumors coming from workers that had miraculously lived had stated all of the horrid things she and her family did, and they needed to pay the price. He hissed a bit and turned around, about to walk away when he heard another familiar voice.

"Jeez Aria, don't you think you're buying too much stuff?"

"Oh, you can never have too much stuff Sayo! Besides I bought some of these dresses for you. I have to make sure you get nice stuff, so all of the boys will come after you!" the girl said cheerfully.

"I don't think anyone would want to date Sayo. As soon as they got to know her, they would head for the hills from how rough and tough she is!" another male voice said. A loud yelp of pain filled the area for a few seconds.

This one belonged to a young man, around seventeen years of age, with messy brown hair. He was wearing a tan colored sweater, with a collared shirt underneath. He wore a pair of blue jeans and matching brown boots. Two braces were on his arm, also made of leather. Across his back was a steel sword, sheathed in a rather tribal looking scabbard. Zack bit his lip, a growl leaving his lips.

" _That idiot! I told her not to fucking trust anyone! That kid must either be Tatsumi or that Ieyasu fellow she told me about. Although he sounds a lot more like the former. Tch...that family has two prime candidates for torture right there, I've got to do something about this."_

"Hey wait, I recognize that cloak. Zack, is that you?" Sayo called out, attracting his attention. He took a deep breath and turned around, feigning a look of surprise.

"Sayo! It's so good to see you! I wasn't expecting to run into you so fast. What's up? Find a job in the city yet?" he asked. The girl shook her head, a frown on her face.

"I haven't found anything, but our friend Aria has offered me work in her mansion. Oh right, I forgot to introduce you two, this is Tatsumi, the guy I was talking about. Tatsumi, this is Zack, it's thanks to him that I got here safely." Sayo said. Tatsumi gave him a smile.

"Nice to meet you man. Thanks for getting her here safely, she told me about the bandits that attacked you two. It must have been a stressful situation." he said.

"I wouldn't call it stressful. I mean, the guy who got his leg blown off had a more stressful situation. And I guess the guy who was sliced in half from the cock up had a horrible time too. It's what they get for wanting to attack someone with killing intent. Um anyway, I don't believe we've met miss." he said, glancing at Aria, who had been looking at him oddly for a few minutes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It seems I have forgotten my manners! My name is Aria Von Astrea. It's always nice to meet friends of Tatsumi and Sayo." she said.

"I'm sure...anyway, how did you all meet? I mean I last saw you in the market place, and here you are in the shopping district." Zack said, glancing back at Sayo.

"Well, I was looking around for work at one of these stores when Tatsumi spotted me. We talked about our journey to the capital and if we had seen Ieyasu at all, and then he told me Aria had a large house. He said her parents didn't mind having people over, and when I met her, she offered me a job as a maid." She said.

"I've got a lot of open spots. All of our maids just seem to vanish in the middle of the night, they don't even leave a note or anything. Especially after how kind we are to them, but you can't change people. I know...I'm in need of a personal escort, you look like the type. You interested?" Aria asked.

"Awfully kind of you miss, but I'm afraid I've already got employment. Once I'm through with my business in the city, I'll be heading back down to the Principality of Veronica, of which I am from." he said.

"I could tell you weren't from around here, your skin is too dark, and that mask looks absolutely garish! I hope you don't feel insulted by this, I'm an honest girl at heart." the blonde said.

"Hell, I could care less what people think of me. I'm not in the business to seek appreciation or admiration. Just so you know, the mask hides the scars from my past, were I to walk around with out it...well it wouldn't bode well for anyone seeing that horrible thing. Sayo, Tatsumi...I'm gland you've found each other." Zack said.

"Thanks, you have no idea how worried I was about her. She's my best friend, and of course Ieyasu too. I knew the path to the capital was long and grueling, and I've killed quite a lot of Danger Beasts to get here but, I'm glad she was spared all of that, even if bandits attacked you guys." Tatsumi said.

"I can tell she means a lot to you. Protect her with your life, do not let her out of your sight, and always keep your sword ready. A lot of people in the capital are shady, you never know when someone will stab you in the back. Oh, and make your own food, less chance of poisoning that way." he said. The two shared a look, giving him a nod.

"Guys, we have to head back, mother said she wanted me back before it got too late. I can take the chance to help Sayo wash her hair, I wanna see how silky it is!" Aria said.

"Hehe, sure Aria...well it was nice seeing you again Zack."

"Same here...think I can get a hug for the road?" he asked, earning a chuckle from the girl. She wrapped her arms around the boy, who did the same. She stiffened a bit when she felt him place something in her sash, right under the loop of the bow.

"Don't trust the Astreas...they're fucked up people, trust me." he said softly. Sayo didn't say anything, just gave him a smile. He shook Tatsumi's hand briefly, before walking off.

Zack ducked into a nearby alleyway, making sure he was completely alone. He kept going, reaching the darkest part of the alley. He felt someone drop down behind him. He didn't say a single word, not even bothering to reach for a weapon. He let out a breath he had been holding, glancing slightly over his shoulder.

"You saw that exchange right? She's got two more victims in her grasp, I've already given them subtle warnings, and now that I have, she's gonna jump the gun. We can't wait until tomorrow, this shit happens tonight." he said firmly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" the woman asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"I was born ready Akame. You're getting better, barely noticed you on that roof earlier." he said, turning to face the black haired katana wielder.

She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, with a white collar and a crimson tie, which had a metal pin on it. She was wearing a matching black skirt, and long knee length socks, with black shoes. She was holding her weapon of choice in her hands, a Teigu known as One Slice Killer: Murasame. It was a katana enchanted with a curse that would kill the target with a single knick, slash or prick. It made it a hard weapon to handle, but she had it for years without issue.

"I'll relay the message to the others. Mine and Sheele are already in position, and Bulat is checking the area out with Incursio. Leone is doing rounds around the slum to see if anyone is missing. All we need now is the cover of night." she said.

"I'll be waiting with Lubbock and Cornelia at the library, we'll rendezvous at the big tree in the center of the Astrea Plantation and then we go in for the kill." he said.

"Understood, I'll be waiting for you." Akame said, disappearing just as fast as she had appeared. He chuckled, reaching for his shotgun. He started loading slugs into it, knowing he would need them.

 _ **xxx**_

"Hey Sayo, that boy you were talking to at the square, he looked rather suspicious. Do you know who he is?" Aria asked. The black haired girl looked up from her lap, seeing her reflection in the mirror.

She was wearing a rather silky nightgown, one she never thought she would ever see, let alone wear. It was a light blue color, with frilled shoulder straps that had flowers printed on them. It fell down to her knees, and had more flowers embroidered into the hem. Aria was holding a brush in her hand, getting all of the tangles and knots out of her hair. She still didn't get why Aria was so fascinated by it.

"He's a friend, he saved my life from bandits when I was on my way to the capital yesterday." was her only reply. She would rather not say anything she didn't need too.

"Oh, how did he do that? Did he kill some bandits or something?" Aria asked absentmindedly.

"Not really...just ran into some monsters is all. You almost done? I really want to head to bed." she said.

"Without eating anything? Don't be silly! You need to eat so you can stay strong, that way you'll be able to do more as my maid!" the blonde said firmly.

"Yeah but...I bought a lot of apples while we were out today, so I'm not that hungry. Besides it's already late, your folks already had dinner by the time we got back, so I wouldn't want to bother the staff." Sayo said, brushing it off. Aria narrowed her eyes.

"It sounds to me like...you're scared to eat the food here...I assure you, no one has died here. So forget whatever that boy told you."

"Huh? I wasn't even thinking that! I'm just full from the apples, I promise. Now can I get my hair back so I can go to sleep?" the girl snapped. Aria set the brush down, trying the Silk Dragon back into Sayo's hair, a smile on her face.

"There you go! You look really pretty with your hair down...well, I had a lot of fun today, I want to have more fun later, okay?" she asked, heading toward the door.

"Alright...hey where did you put my bow?" Sayo asked, standing up from the chair. Aria turned around, giving her a smile.

"That old thing? You won't need it anymore since you're my maid now, so I gave it to the guards, don't worry, I'm sure they'll find some use for it. Hey, maybe if you make enough money, you can buy a new one. Anyway, have a good night!" she said cheerfully, closing the door behind herself. Sayo hissed in annoyance.

" _Great, she took my only weapon...well at least I can still defend myself."_ she thought, reaching into her underwear, pulling out the knife Zack had given her. She walked toward the door, flicking the light switch, there was no way in hell she was going to sleep in this place.

" _Zack was right...they're acting weird...Tatsumi may not see it, but I do. That woman kept insisting on us having dinner even though we already ate. And her father kept asking us if we wanted to have a drink with him, something is up here."_ she thought, clenching her knife.

A beautiful blonde woman was making her way through the empty dark hallway, a smile on her face. She was holding a journal in her hands, reading the latest entree, which detailed the results of a new drug she had been working on. Her bright blue eyes scanned through the paper, each word making her smile widen.

"Well, time to see the results of my latest experiment. I just can't quit this little hobby can't I?" she asked herself.

The silence was cut by the sound of a blade. The woman didn't even realize what happened to her until she was already on the ground. Her upper body had been sliced clean in half by an unknown assailant. She gasped a bit in shock, an immense pain filling her mind. She moved her head slightly, seeing her severed arms laying beside the lower half of her body. She glanced up, fear in her face as she looked up at the purple haired assassin.

"I'm sorry." she said softly, stabbing the tip of her large scissors into her head, with a sharp twist, the woman was no more. She swung her blade, the blood that had gotten on it flew off, hitting the ground in an arc.

Sayo jolted awake, having fallen asleep with the knife in her hand. She quickly got up, grabbing her boots and slipping them on her feet, not caring that she was still in a nightgown. She could feel the killing intent in the air, and it made the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end. She was trying to keep herself calm, but with only a small knife, she didn't know if she had what it took to keep herself safe. She left her bedroom, hearing a loud scream and a gunshot echoing down the opposite hall.

" _Holy shit, this is not happening...Zack said they were bad people, but are they so bad someone sent assassins after them?"_ she thought to herself. She turned the hall, slamming into Tatsumi who had his sword in his hand.

"Sayo! I'm so glad you're okay...we gotta get outta here, Night Raid is here, and they're killing everyone!" he said.

"Huh? Night Raid? The assassination group Aria's father mentioned?" the ravenette asked, earning a nod from him.

"We gotta find Aria and protect her, she's innocent of this. Her parents may have been bad, but I'm sure she doesn't know. Come on!" he cried, pulling her along.

"Man, I haven't that this fun in awhile." Zack said, leaning up against the wall, holding his shotgun tightly in his hand. Cornelia rolled her eyes, lowering her hood, it didn't matter to her if she was seen, seeing as she was going to kill anyone that got in her way.

"This is much more fun then the stealthy shit from yesterday. By the way, did you find that rapist?" she asked.

"Mhmm, tore his dick right off his body. Found him molesting an eight year old girl, and I had my way with him." he said, giving the blonde a wink. He left the corner, racing up the hallway. One of the guards took aim at him, only for his head to snap back, blood spraying all over the wall.

Zack drop kicked one of the maids aiming at him, her scream of pain filling his ears. He slammed his foot onto her throat, seeing the look of fear on her face. She gasped for air, clawing at his leg so he could remove it. He held his shotgun right to her face, a shaking his head.

"Such a waste." he said, pulling the trigger, blowing her head apart. He looked up, in time to see another man aiming a sword at him. He rose his shotgun to deflect the sword.

"Crushing Fist!" Cornelia shouted, punching the man in the chest so hard her arm went through him. He gasped in pain, a gurgling sound leaving his lips. Zack quickly snapped his neck, tossing the body aside. He glanced up, seeing ten more guards running at them, swords drawn.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" he said, licking his lips as he reached for Crescent Rose. He flicked his wrist, running forward as he took a swing at the first guard.

Slicing him clean in half, he turned around, slamming the blunt end of his scythe to send the body flying back. Cornelia shot past him, slamming her leg into another man's chest, causing him to groan in pain, his armor having blocked most of the blow. She twisted her body around, driving the heel of her boot into his jaw, sending teeth flying in all directions. Before he could even react, she snapped his neck in half. She grabbed his body, using it as a shield from one of the gunners.

Zack spun his scythe around, letting out a few cries as he slashed to and fro, sending blood, limbs and heads in all directions. He let out a laugh as he shot forward, taking down anyone who got in his way. He took one final swing, slicing the final guard's head clean off. He spun his scythe around, brushing the blood off his weapon.

"Nice...you didn't leave any for me." Cornelia said, a frown on her face.

"Hey, you got the smokes last time, that means I get to take out the henchmen!" he said, walking down the opposite hall. She let out a growl, following after her partner.

Aria's father was running, from what he didn't know. The man was only five foot nine, and was in his early forties, wearing a pressed wine colored suit, with a white shirt and black tie. He had heard the commotion going on, and was unable to reach his daughter's room in time. He had been told by one of the guards that she had been taken to safety, only for his head to be blown clean off his shoulders by a golden beam of light. Since then he had been running, hoping his wife and daughter had been spared by this.

This however proved to be wrong, when he had raced past the dismembered body of his wife. He didn't even have time to say anything, although there was nothing one could say to a decapitated woman. He turned into another hallway, suddenly feeling something clenching around his neck. He felt himself being lifted right off the ground. His eyes stared into the golden cat like eyes of his assailant.

"Gah...why are...you doing this?" he asked. He could feel the person's thumb pressing against his airway. They walked toward the light, revealing the long spiky blonde hair and ears of a young woman. She was almost five foot eleven, and was wearing a black tube top, matching black shots and brown chaps with boots. She let out a growl, squeezing the man's throat.

"You should know asshole! You killed kids from the slums, used your daughter to sweet talk country bumpkins into staying here, just so you could get your sick kicks torturing them. There is no forgiveness for you." she said angrily.

"P-please. I-I have a d-daughter, s-spare her any of this." he choked, earning a grin from the woman.

"Oh don't worry, she'll be joining you on the other side soon enough." she said, tightening her fist. The man let out a gurgled gasp, his neck snapping a second later. She tossed the body aside, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

"We can't keep running! They'll only catch up to us!" one of the guards cried, keeping his hold on Aria's wrist tight. Tatsumi and Sayo were following him and two others, heading toward a storehouse near the end of the property.

"It's not like we can fight against them. Did you see that armored guy? He sliced Tim clean in half with that spear, fuck that shit!" one of the guards cried.

One of them let out a scream, blood bursting from his neck. Black runes started coming from the wound, killing him almost instantly. Aria let out a scream, quickening her pace a bit. She was scared and she didn't want to die. She thought for a second the guard had let go of her hand, only to realize she had been running with his severed arm in her grasp. She stopped briefly, seeing a black haired woman driving her sword into his head. She glanced up at her, crimson eyes glowing fiercely.

"Eliminate." she said firmly, dashing at her.

"No please! I haven't done anything wrong!" she cried. The last guard ran in front of her, taking the hit for her.

"Run miss, save yourself...guh." the man said, his body falling to the ground. Tatsumi took a hold of Aria's hand, and continued running toward the stone building not far from where they were.

"There's the storehouse, let's hide in there. They won't be able to get through those metal doors!" he said.

"Somehow, I doubt that. What the hell did your family do to get Night Raid this pissed off?" Sayo asked.  
"I haven't done anything you shrew! I've been the nicest little girl ever, these stupid assassins are just bastards!" she cried, tears running down her face.

Tatsumi was about to say something when he felt someone slam into him, his grasp on Aria's hand weakened as he fell to the ground. The brown haired boy rolled around for a second, quickly drawing his sword, running at his assailant, throwing a slash at him. The weapon was completely deflected. The brown haired boy's eyes widened a bit when he saw who he was fighting.

"Z-Zack...what?" he asked. The red cloaked boy said nothing, as the black haired girl raced past, aiming a slash at Aria. Sayo reacted quickly, using the knife to parry the attack.

"You aren't a target, get out of my way." she said, an emotionless tone in her voice.

"No! I have to know why you want to kill her! Zack what the hell? You didn't tell me you were part of Night Raid!" Sayo cried.

"It isn't something I like to flaunt around I'm afraid. Sayo, I told you the darkness of the capital is extensive, this place isn't fun, and sadly, this young woman is part of that reason." he said.

"Like hell, I'm not going to let you do anything to her!" Tatsumi cried, standing in front of Aria, holding his sword in a defensive stance. Zack swung his scythe around, stabbing the tip of the polearm into the ground, leaning back into it.

"Akame, get to the target, use force if necessary." he said firmly.

"Understood." she said, dashing forward. Tatsumi didn't move as she threw a slash at his neck. He deflected the sword with ease, throwing his own attack at the black haired girl.

He let out a growl as he continued throwing slash after slash at her, all of them being dodged or deflected by Akame. She saw a jab going at her leg and easily parried it, sending his sword flying up. She twisted the blade, driving it into his chest.

"Tatsumi!" Sayo cried, watching her friend fall to the ground in a heap. The black haired girl growled angrily, clenching her hand tightly around her knife.

"How could you? I thought we were friends!" Sayo cried.

"Friendship in this line of work means nothing. We didn't want to kill your friend, but he got in the way, this is the darkness of the world Sayo, the darkness of our line of work." Zack said firmly, a frown on his face.

"I know you're not dead, so stand up and grab your sword." Akame said.

"What are you talking about? I am dead, didn't you hear the blergh sound?" Tatsumi asked.

"Dude...how did you survive Murasame? It's supposed to kill in one hit?" Zack asked, watching the boy stand up. He reached into his shirt, pulling out a stone idol, which had a hole in the center of it.

"Heh, my friends and family are always with me. I'm not letting Aria die, so stand down." Tatsumi snapped angrily, reaching for his sword. Akame didn't move, only angled her blade for one final strike.

"I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be." she said, taking a swing at him, so fast that he couldn't react.

" _Holy shit, it's so fast!"_ he cried in his mind. He turned his head slightly, the tip of her blade almost at his throat.

"Hold up there Akame."

"Leone? The hell are you doing here?" Zack asked, opening his eyes as he looked at the blonde woman. She gave him a grin.

"I'm just returning the favor...sup kiddo, remember me?" she asked, glancing at Tatsumi, who looked at her with widened eyes.

"You're that pair of boobs, I mean that woman that swindled me! So you're an assassin too?" he snapped angrily.

"I'm afraid so...but I'm here with good reason. I owe you for that money you gave me in town, I was able to help a lot of sick kids in the slums, so I'll show you why we're killing this family." she said, walking toward the storehouse doors. Sayo looked at the woman with distrust, still holding her knife in her hands. With a firm kick, the doors flew clean off the hinges, giving them a look of the inside.

"Take a look, this is the true darkness of the city. The one that Zack was warning you about." Leone said, looking away from the room. Tatsumi and Sayo looked inside, gasping in shock.

All around, several bodies could be seen, hanging by shackles from the roof. Some had missing arms, while others had missing legs and hands. A few were still strapped to torture devices, they spotted an iron maiden on the other side of the room, with a little girl pinned to it. A few cries of pain could still be heard within the room, of the ones who were in the process of dying. Sayo felt her stomach drop, her throat tightening a bit. The smell was horrible, the sight was even worse. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She felt tears running down her face, a look of realization on her face.

"Holy shit, we were next." she said, bumping into the wall behind her.

"I'm afraid so. Sorry for not saying anything, she was next to you two in the shopping district, so I couldn't say much." Zack said.

"This is horrible...how can they do something so fucking horrible?" Tatsumi cried. A loud cough echoed through the room, causing them to look to toward the cages.

"Tatsumi...is that you?" a voice called out.

"No...Ieyasu?" Sayo said softly. The boy pressed his face against the bars, giving the two a smile. He had spiky black hair, held back by a green head band. He wasn't wearing anything but a torn pair of pants. He had various red spots on his skin, and had lots of bleeding cuts throughout his body.

"Sayo...look at you, you made it here safely...those bandits had me worried. You look...nice in that gown." he said. His hand flew to his mouth, a glob of blood bursting out. Tatsumi swung his sword on the lock, opening the cage.

"Ieyasu! Hang on, we aren't gonna let you die here!" he said.

"That little bitch...she brought in another girl, tied her up to those shackles, and beat the hell out of her...all because she had better hair than her. She stabbed her, poisoned her, and beat her to death." he said, pointing to the young woman that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh my god...wasn't she from that village we passed? Before we got separated?" Sayo asked, earning a nod from Tatsumi.

"Yeah...she was the inn keeper's daughter. She took a carriage to the capital, a day before we left...son of a bitch." the boy hissed.

"I'm sorry...I know I promised I would...send money back to the folks...but...I guess I won't be...sending anything back huh?" Ieyasu asked, coughing slightly. Akame knelt down before him, checking him over, a frown on her face.

"He's in the final stages of the Rubiola virus. The owner's wife loved drugging those she ensnared in her lies. She wrote the results down on a little notebook." she said firmly.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going bitch?" Leone said, grabbing Aria by her hair, causing her to scream. Zack placed a blade at her throat, glaring into her eyes.

"You knew didn't you? That they were looking for him, you knew that they were worried, and yet you hid the fact that he was here, suffering for days on end. All because of your filthy mother...I should kill you myself, stab you until you stop breathing, but that right now isn't my job to do." he said, pulling the blade away.

"You blame me for all of this? Who cares if they die? They're all from the country, all farming hicks from the boonies. As far as I know, they're nothing more than cattle, and you don't get in trouble for killing cattle. That bitch had nice hair! She has silky smooth hair, while I had this curly disgusting nest! If it hadn't been for you, I would have done the same thing to that rude little tramp!" she cried, glaring at Sayo who only held nothing but anger at her.

"Tatsumi...Sayo...you can't let it win...you can't let the darkness of this world destroy you. Stick together, I'm sure both of you will be able...to save our village. Do what's right, even if it means doing what's wrong." Ieyasu said, giving them a smile. He groaned in pain, letting out a soft breath, his eyes drooping closed. Tatsumi placed his friend down, standing up from the floor.

"Leone, let her go." Zack said, earning a nod from the lioness. Aria fell to the ground, as she backed away from the assassins.

"Hehehe, wait until I tell the Imperial Police, all of you are going to rot in hell, while I go free! I'm still rich, it doesn't matter if my parents are dead, I'll avenge them!" she cried. Tatsumi let out a howl of anger, slashing her across the chest. Blood flew in all directions as she dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Tatsu...mi?"

"Sayo...she's all yours." the boy said, flinging the blood off his blade. The ravenette nodded, spinning the knife around her hand, holding the blade down right above her eye.

"I would say Rest in Peace, but honestly you don't deserve it." she said, stabbing the girl in the chest. She pulled the knife free, stabbing her several more times, each one causing more agony to the girl.

"Please, it hurts! Make it stop, I'll do anything!" Aria cried, tears running down the sides of her face. Sayo closed her eyes, doing a small prayer before plunging the blade though her eye, twisting it around until Aria was good and dead.

"Mission accomplished, it's time for us to go." Akame said firmly. Zack pulled his scythe free and flicked his wrist, shifting it into its travel mode.

"What about them?" He asked, glancing at Tatsumi and Sayo, who were still kneeling in front of Ieyasu's body.

"I got an idea! Those two could come with us! They killed the little girl with no hesitation, and we're always short handed you know." Leone said, giving the boy a wink. He glanced back at the two country teens, a frown on his face.

"They've got potential...alright we'll take them back to the base. But you're responsible for working it out with the boss, last thing I need is my head beaten in by her." he replied. Leone grinned, grabbing Tatsumi by the back of his shirt, causing him to scream.

"Whoa hey, what the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, you're coming with us of course! Let's just say, I've got a job opening for you, for the both of you." She said, earning a narrowed look from Sayo. She gave her a nod, cleaning the blood off her knife with Aria's dress.

"Alright, I'll go...but I'll walk myself...have fun being carried Tatsumi!"

"What...what the hell Sayo! What about Ieyasu?"

"Oh...don't you worry...I'll come back before sunrise for his body, we'll give him a proper burial." she said.

"We're wasting time, come on before we get caught." Zack said firmly, making his way out of the property.

It didn't take them long to make it to the rendezvous location, the big tree in the middle of the plantation. It was secluded away from the mansion, but still gave them enough of a view over the entire area, in case they needed to do some long distance killing. Zack did a sweep of the area seeing the rest of the team up in the tree.

"Tch...took you long enough."

"Good to see you too Mine, it's been what...three weeks?" the boy asked, earning a pout from the pink haired girl.

"It's good to see you again Zack, you're soaked in blood, as always."

"Good to see you too Big Bro, Lubbock, any sign from Sheele? Are all the targets neutralized?"

"I haven't felt anything on my strings yet, she might have returned to base." the green haired teen said.

"How was everything? Did you get that little bimbo?" Cornelia asked, jumping down from the tree, lowering her hood.

"Actually, the new recruits got her. You should have seen that shit, it was so elegant." he said, glancing over his shoulder. Leone let go of Tatsumi, who landed on the ground with a thud.

"Ow, what the hell did you have to drop me for?" he cried.

"You were squirming, so I lost my grip, sorry!" she said, not at all feeling sorry. Sayo sighed, shaking her head at her friend.

"Sheesh Tatsumi, you've got to stop screaming alright? You wanna attract the whole of the Imperial Police? We did just kill someone." she said.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Why did you bring them here?" Mine cried, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Aw, don't you worry! They're the new members of Night Raid! We're gonna take them back home and show them what it truly means to be the terror of the night!" Leone said.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this, what's wrong with you?" Tatsumi cried angrily, glaring into the blonde's eyes.

"Aw, but the way you killed that girl was amazing, you're the kind of help we need in our organization."

"Look, we can talk about this later, for now you've got questions that we will answer. We've got to get back, this mission is accomplished, move out everyone." Akame said, earning nods from everyone. Lubbock grinned, flicking his wrists forward, sending out hundreds of invisible threads.

"The path is set, let's go home!" he said, jumping onto the thread, followed by Mine and Akame.

"I'll take a hold of him, don't you worry...I'll take good care of you~" Bulat said, picking Tatsumi up bridle style.

"I need an adult."

"I am an adult." the man said, jumping onto the thread, causing the boy to scream. Just like that, Night Raid disappeared into the night, just as fast as they had appeared.


	3. Kill the Sadness

**A/N: Hi Billy Mays here with another fantastic product! Are you tired of waiting for a new chapter? Sometimes get pissed when a story goes on Hiatus? Well not anymore! Today I bring you the newest chapter of Blood Rain, packed with a lot of information. Sadly this chapter isn't as bloody as the last one, but worry not the next one definitely will be!**

 **I hope you all are looking forward to this, because it is a very lengthy chapter, filled with a lot of information on Night Raid, fuck yeah. We also get to see how Sayo adjusts to her new life being part of Night Raid. Worry not, the actiony parts are going to start soon enough. This story is going to follow the same titles as the manga chapters, so there is going to be a lot of distinction. If you see a chapter that isn't named like one of the manga chapters, then it's gonna be original. There's gonna be a lot of back story for Zack too since he's gonna be the main oc for this story, and of course one of the main characters. I've been getting a lot of positive feedback for this story, so I hope you guys are truly enjoying this. Enough, the ranting ceases! The chapter begins now!**

 **Also, if any of you have ideas for Teigu or Shingu you'd like to see, drop me a line, I am in need of some originals for this story since I will be including some Ocs both good and bad that need Teigu...I may even create more Teigu that are different than the original 48. Who knows?**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 3

Kill the Sadness

Zack hadn't said much since the mission at the Astrea Estate. He had popped into the city the following day, seeing the aftermath of their mission. Everyone was horrified at what they had seen, and it was already known that the Minister was on edge, mostly because that family had been quite important to him. He had already issued orders to kill Night Raid at all costs, but he had smirked inwardly, knowing it would be impossible to not only prove they had done it, but also to find them. It was funny to see the Imperial Police running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Someone was also talking about the rapist that had been killed, and the rather peculiar way in which he had been found.

The black haired boy found himself sitting at the dining room table. He had taken his shotgun apart, and was in the process of cleaning and oiling every single part. This gun was his lifeline, and he needed it to be in good working order for the next mission. He already knew Najenda was back, so he was awaiting his next assignment. It had been quite awhile since he had made it back to the base. It almost looked foreign to him, especially because he had been sent all the way back to his homeland in the Principality to meet with some members of the Revolutionary Army.

"Um...may I sit here?"

Zack looked up, seeing the sheepish look on Sayo's face. She had kept her distance from him over the last three days, with good reason. She thought he had betrayed them, but when she had been shown everything that the Astreas had been hiding, she had finally realized how dark the Empire truly was. He gave her a nod, and she slowly slid the chair out, looking at the parts that were on the table in front of her.

"So...this is a unique gun, I haven't seen one like this before."

"It's rather old, it was used in the civil war that took place 500 years ago. There were some models kept for historic purposes, while others were kept and maintained in case another war broke out. They're rather primitive but they work for what I want them too." he said, setting the barrel down. He wiped the oil from his hands and grabbed the lower, beginning the process of placing it back together.

"I'm sorry...I yelled at you that night for killing those people. I didn't realize just how dark the capital was. You warned me, and yet I didn't follow them, that's why I almost died. If it wasn't for you, I would have most likely gotten here, and would have been tortured like Ieyasu." she said.

"There's nothing to apologize for my lady. I've seen some grim shit, all of my life I've been surrounded by death and destruction. I've grown quite used to it, so seeing someone get pissed off at me for killing someone...well I hate to admit it, but it's a breath of fresh air. We've killed so many people, that we don't even acknowledge it anymore." he said.

"So, they're just another target?" she asked. He nodded, cocking the gun, pulling the trigger. Upon hearing the soft click, he smiled.

"They were just another target. We haven't explained things in detail, because we've been waiting for the boss to show up, but she's currently speaking with our team leader, Tatsumi's been moping around so..."

"Well...we did just lose our friend...that gives us a right to mope around." Sayo said firmly, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Don't bite my head off...I didn't word it right. Grieving is all right...but sometimes it's better to just let them go. Constantly remembering someone who passed on will only serve to drag you down." he said.

"How can you say that? Ieyasu and I were born on the same day, Tatsumi a few weeks later! We've been together since we were kids! I'm the town maiden for God sakes! You can't possibly be so damn heartless!" Sayo snapped, slamming her fist against the table. He didn't bat an eye.

"My village was destroyed down by the empire. We were living near the border of the Empire and the Principality, a small village of around five hundred people. All of us knew each other, I was friends with all of the kids, me and my twin sister Hilda. But one day, these Imperial Knights showed up, demanding we answer them...they were asking our Chief why we needed financial aid. The man was honest, told him we were having a rough time with it and needed money for new crops...you know what their answer was?"

She shook her head, not knowing what to say. She saw him tense up a bit as he set aside his shotgun, having loaded the tube to the brim with ammo. He grabbed his rifle and pulled the magazine from it, clearing the chamber. Once he had replaced the bullet, he started pulling it apart, starting by taking off the stock, the scope and the barrel.

"They salted our crops, poisoned our wells...they killed the elders, forced our men into the army, sold our women into slavery and sold the children for a quick buck. My father decided to fight back, he took a bullet right between the eyes. .308 full metal jacket, there was nothing left. My mother was raped in front of me, and my sister was kidnapped. I tried to fight back and ended up getting knocked out. When they were done, the set fire to all of the houses." he said.

"Zack...I didn't..." Sayo said, earning a slight nod from the boy. He set his cleaning supplies down, reaching for his mask. Sayo gasped when he set it down, eyes widening in shock.

The entire right side of his face had been horribly burned. The area around his eye was the lightest, but the cheek area was completely red and scarred over, old boils still being marked on the skin. The bottom of it was a dark fleshy color, with various purple areas around it. Part of his nose was also burned, along with the area around his upper lip. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"I had nothing to do but run. Thankfully, I salvaged a few portraits of my sister, and was able to ask around neighboring towns about her. I heard rumors, and I know...I can feel that she's alive...where ever she is, I'll find her. But I've got to take down the Empire to do that. Prime Minister Honest was the one who ordered the destruction of my village. He's the one who's taxing your village. His Imperial Soldiers are the ones killing innocents, destroying cities...and hording money for themselves. I'll stop at nothing until I see them all die by my hand." he said firmly.

"That's your reason to fight...you want to see your sister again...I'm so sorry Zack...I was coming at this the wrong way...now I understand what it takes." Sayo said, standing up from her seat. The boy picked up his mask, placing it back onto his face, making sure it was snug on it.

"What does that mean exactly?" he asked curiously.

"Get me a bow, because I've decided to join Night Raid!" she said firmly. The boy gave her a smile.

"Heh, welcome to the fold then. Course you'll need to be approved by the boss lady, she's around. But it isn't all fun and games you know, if you want to be one of us, you have to prove yourself. You might not be able to see your parents again for a long time...or at all." he said.

"I know...I know there's a risk of death, I know that I'll be forced into situations where my life will be in danger...where I might have to take those lives who threaten mine. I'm ready for it...I trained in archery for years, and it's time to use it for something. As long as the job pays well, I'll be fine without going home." She said.

"Fine then, first thing's first. Do you have any training with a sword?" he asked. She shook her head, a frown on her face.

"Swords were more of Tatsumi's thing...Ieyasu was a spear user, and I learned to use the bow because it was easy." she replied.

"Well, looks like you'll need some training then. Let me finish up with my rifle and I'll show you around the place." he said. She nodded, sitting back down, watching as he cleaned every part that made up his weapon.

"Hey Zack, I got a question."

"I may have an answer." the boy replied.

"If Crescent Rose is part rifle, why carry a shotgun and an assault rifle with you? Doesn't it get tiring?" she asked. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"An assassin is prepared for any and all types of job sweetheart. Crescent Rose may be part rifle, but I can only use it so many times before I have to go into the fray. It only fires .50 caliber BMG rounds, meaning it's more of a sniper than anything. One of the passive abilities it gives me is enhanced senses. The metal that makes up the outer workings was made of this really rare danger beast." he said, pausing to put his rifle apart.

"Rare danger beast?" she asked.

"Mhmm. It was called, the Crimson Thorn. It was half beast, have plant...a unique monster that lived deep in the jungles of the southwestern territories. It was a creature that was able to adapt to various terrains. Whether high up, or down low, but what made it dangerous was it's senses. Enhanced hearing, enhanced smell, enhanced sight, enhanced durability and finally, enhanced speed. It was able to kill things before anyone knew it was there." he said.

"How was it killed then?" Sayo asked.

"Legend has it, they had to use another Teigu, Grand Chariot, in order to kill it. It was much to fast, but Grand Chariot was faster. The thick skin was taken back to the first Emperor who used alchemy to turn it into metal. With the addition of the precious metal, Orichilcum, it was turned into a very deadly weapon." he said.

"So, the abilities are passive then?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

"They are...as long as I keep Crescent Rose on me at all times, my senses will be enhanced. However, my enhanced speed works differently, I can activate it at will as long as I'm holding the weapon, however if I use it for too long, I'll grow immensely tired. If that happens, then all of the enhancements will be reduced by 75% meaning I will most likely die." he said.

"I didn't think Teigus worked like that...I had heard legends of special arms being kept in the palace but...I wasn't expecting something like that. I've got to say, Crescent Rose is pretty cool. You look like a natural when you swing it."

"Her...I've...given it a gender...don't give me that weird look." he said, earning a raised brow from the ravenette. He finished assembling his rifle and loaded the magazine into it, placing it in the special holster at his leg. He grabbed all of the cleaning supplies and put them inside the black case on the table. He walked over to the sink, washing his hands free of oil.

"Alright, how about a tour?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"I would like that very much, thank you." she said. He took a hold of the black case, walking out of the kitchen, toward the living area.

"Well, I'm sure you've been here already...oh look, one of my friends is here. Hey Sheele." he said, causing the girl to jump a bit.

"Oh um...hello there Zack. Hello...um...what was your name again?" she asked.

"It's Sayo, it's nice to meet you Sheele." she said, giving her a smile.

Sheele was a girl of eighteen, with long violet hair that reached down to her waist. She had fair colored skin and bright lavender colored eyes, hidden behind her glasses. She was wearing a qui pao styled dress, which was also violet in color, along with a pair of leather boots. Resting beside her was her Imperial Arm, Extase, leaning up against the couch. Zack picked up the book she had dropped, frowning a bit when he read the title.

"Now Sheele, how many times have I told you that you aren't an airhead?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I just...found it interesting. You know how klutzy I am...Mine doesn't want me to do laundry anymore, after what happened last time." she said.

"What happened last time?" Sayo asked curiously. Zack broke into chuckles, hiding his face behind the book.

"Mine was showing her how to use the new washing machine we got from the Revolutionary Army, and was teaching her to separate the whites and darks, and at some point she threw Mine into the wash without even realizing it. Leone had to pry the thing open, and I had to strip her of her clothes so she wouldn't catch a cold." He said.

"You stripped a girl naked? What's wrong with you?" Sayo asked.

"Hey, it was either that or she died of Hypothermia. Besides, only me, Leone, Sheele and Mine were at the base since we weren't needed for the current assignment. If we lost our best sniper when when she might be called up next, it would be my ass out there instead." he said.

"So you are just lazy then?" Sheele asked, earning a glare from the boy.

"I am not lazy. I'm just not covert...I can be stealthy when I have to be, but you know me, I'm a man of action, and if I'm not down there slicing shit up, then it isn't a good fight for me." he said, crossing his arms.

"Um so...what's your Teigu? What does it do?" Sayo asked, glancing at the weapon beside her.

"Oh, this is my close friend Extase...we've been together for awhile now. It's a giant pair of scissors made from a metal so sharp it can cut through anything." Sheele said, earning a gulp from the ravenette.

"Cut through anything...so you were the one who cut Aria's mother clean in half?" she asked.

"Huh? Who's Aria again?" Sheele asked, earning a groan from the two.

"She was responsible for killing her yes. Extase is a special Imperial Arm, it has another skill, the ability to make a blinding gleam, by angling the blade slightly, it will reflect any and all light in every direction. It's made from Orichilcum, one hundred percent pure orichilcum." he said.

"Interesting...so wait is the blade from Crescent Rose made out of the same material?"

"Yes and no. For my Teigu, they had run out of material, so they had to use a mixture of orichilcum, wrought iron ore, steel ore and some sapphires to strengthen the blade. It can cut through nearly anything, but if something is made out of orichilcum or diamonds, I won't be able to cut through it." he said, earning a nod from Sayo.

"Due to it's durability, I am also able to deflect bullets with Extase...he makes an extremely solid shield." Sheele added.

"She's quite good with it, sometimes we get practical with our training, so I've had to fire on her, but thankfully she's been able to deflect them all. Anyway, we'll let you get back to your reading, there's more of the hideout to show her." he said, handing Sheele the book back.

"It was nice meeting you Sheele, I hope we can become good friends!"

"Me too Sayo, I promise to not forget your name." the girl said with a bow.

The two continued onward, briefly passing through the bedroom area. Sayo was already familiar with that area so she didn't need to be shown anything. He showed her to the debriefing room, a large room with a single chair at the top, where Najenda would sit to speak about the latest mission. A large flag with the insignia of Night Raid could be seen hanging proudly from the wall. They continued outward, reaching the outdoor patio, there was a sign that was pointing toward the outdoor baths, and another toward the training ground. Zack stopped when Lubbock walked around the corner, a devious smirk on his face.

"Hehe, Leone is showing that new kid around, that gives me time to set myself up." he said softly.

"Set yourself up? Bro do you have a death wish? You know Leo is gonna break every bone in your body if she catches you." Zack said, causing the boy to scream.

"Jeez, don't fuckin do that asshat! Oh hello, you're the new girl right? Names Lubbock, master assassin, how do you do?" he asked, wiggling his brows a bit as he held his hand out. Sayo backed away from him, causing him to hang his head a bit.

"Well, this dumbass already introduced himself, but I'll do it again for him. He's Lubbock, aside from being an assassin like us, he's head of security. With the use of his Teigu, we're able to tell if anyone is getting close to the base, and we're able to react accordingly." he said.

"Really? How do you do that? Is your Teigu a sense enhancer like Zack's" Sayo asked.

"Uh no...this is my Teigu." he said, showing her his hands. She looked at them closely, seeing the thin strings running from the spindle on the back of his hand, to his finger tips.

"Infinite Uses: Cross-Tail. This Teigu uses threads as it's main tool, basically, Lubbock can craft anything from threads, whether that be knives, shields, swords, you name it, he can make it. A more practical use for it is the defense system he's rigged up. All around the base, thin invisible threads have been placed, all of them connecting to his hands. If anyone trips one, he knows it before we're even aware of it. So if you hear him running around and your in the bathroom, you better hurry the fuck up." Zack said firmly.

"That happened to Sheele once, it wasn't pretty, especially since she was fighting the bandits completely naked. On the plus side, I got a good view of the goods." Lubbock said, a blush on his face.

"Oh great, another pervert, just what I needed." Sayo said, crossing her arms.

"Ah, don't worry about him. Me and Lubbo here go way back, to when Night Raid was first formed. Back then, it was just me, Najenda, Cornelia and Akame. He was the first one to get assigned to our detail. That about right Richie Rich?" he asked.

"Don't call me that...what Zack said is true...Najenda ended up finding me, and she brought me to the Revolutionary Army, I've been with her and the rest of the squad for awhile...and I'm not gonna leave or die. I'll give it my all, right to the very end, until I wrap my strings around that bastard's neck, I won't live in peace." he said firmly.

"You've got a lot of gumption...I can tell you care a lot about your friends...it's good to meet someone like you." Sayo said, a smile on her face.

"Ah well...you know me, we're all family now...we've got no one else but ourselves. Just a bunch of social rejects killing people for money...but even then our job is more honest than some." he said, a frown on his face.

"Well...Lubbock's busy with his funeral, so let's move on to the training grounds, I'm sure you'll love this." Zack said, pulling Sayo along.

"Nice meeting you!" she said.

"Same, welcome to the team!" the green haired teen cried, going on his way, he only prayed Leone was already taking her bath.

Reaching the training grounds, the two heard a series of shouts, along with the sound of movement. Zack smiled a bit as he arrived at the open area, seeing another one of his comrades in the middle of his training session. Sayo looked at him, eyes widened, cheeks flushing bright red. Bulat hadn't broken a sweat as he swung his spear around, his muscles rippling with each swing. He swung his spear around, stabbing it into the ground, grabbing a towel from one of the wooden horses.

"Zack, I see you've taken it upon yourself to show the new girl around, how nice of you." he said cheerfully.

"You're senses are still as sharp as ever big bro, nice to see you swinging that spear around. I almost missed seeing you like this." he said. Bulat blushed a bit, placing a hand behind his back.

"Come on Zack, don't say things like that!" he said.

"Zack, would you mind introducing me to your very muscular, very hot and sweaty...very attractive friend?" Sayo asked. Zack bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

"Sayo, this is Bulat. He's the one who was wearing the armor when we left the Astrea estate. He's a master of the spear and the sword, and is responsible for training all of us in hand to hand and sword combat. He is also...well...he bats for the other team." he said.

"Huh?" Sayo asked.

"Now now Zack, you're gonna give her the wrong idea!" Bulat said, slapping the boy's shoulder.

"I didn't want to get her hopes up big bro. She was all hot and bothered." he said. Sayo growled angrily, punching Zack right on the arm, causing him to help in pain.

"Shit fuck! You've got a mean right hook girl, damn." he said, rubbing his new sore spot.

"I learned from the best." she said, a smile on her face.

"Well, Tatsumi told me earlier you were an archer...we do have a shooting range, so you'll be able to practice your aim there. Of course it would make us feel safer if you could use a sword."

"Trust me when I say this, Bulat here is the best of the best. He used to be a general in the Imperial Army, but when he realized everything was going to shit, he grabbed his Imperial Arm and left. He was gonna be sentenced to death for a lot of stuff he didn't even commit."

"That's horrible! How can they do that to you? To a decorated soldier!" Sayo said, anger flowing through her body.

"Now you understand. The Prime Minister doesn't give a shit who it is, whether it's a general like Bulat, or some random person off the street, they rub his ass the wrong way, and they're fuckin dead. We've lost a lot of friends that way, friends who worked both sides and got found out." he said.

"Just like our friend Glenda...she was a rising star among the Revolutionary Knights...but she was a noble for the Empire...playing both sides got her killed...she was the only woman I ever loved, now...I'm not sure what I want...as long as we can create an country where no man, woman or child suffers, that's enough for me." he said.

"I'll wait for you Bulat, I promise." Sayo said, earning a laugh from Zack, who jabbed the older man in the ribs.

"Looks like you've to an admirer man...take care of her, or else Tatsumi might end up killing you!" he said.

"Don't you worry, I'll take care of all of you little rascals." he said, giving the boy a noogie, much to his displeasure.

"Um Bulat, would you mind showing me your Teigu? I've already seen Sheele's and Lubbock's." Sayo said.

"Sure, I don't mind showing you." he said, grabbing the spear beside him.

"You're gonna love this shit...take a step back." Zack said, pulling Sayo back. Bulat took a deep breath, holding his spear in the air.

"INCURSIO!" he shouted. The ground around him rumbled, the blade of the spear glowing crimson as the light over took him. Sayo watched in awe, as a full suit of armor appeared over the man's body. It even had a cape attached to it. He spun his spear around, stabbing it into the ground.

"No way...that was so badass!" Sayo cried, earning a nod from Zack.

"Now for some details, Incursio is a magical armor, made from a very dangerous Dragon type Danger Beast. It was capable of adapting to any environment. Whether the hot deserts of the west, or the cold tundra of the north, even the ocean was turned into its playground. This beast had no weaknesses...it even went as far as developing invisibility, to hunt those who were ready for it." Zack said firmly.

"On top of that, my strength is greatly increased by Incursio. It's known as the evolving armor, the beast that was slain to create it may have died, but the flesh that was used to create it is still very much alive. Ant it will forever change to suit the needs of those who wear it." Bulat said.

"That's so cool...I wasn't expecting an teigu like this...hey do you think there's a teigu out there that is in the likeness of a bow? I would really like to have something like that with me." Sayo asked.

"Hmm...I haven't seen one in the record book, how about you big bro?" Zack asked.

"I don't recall there ever being one. There were originally 48 teigu in existence, before the civil war five hundred years ago. Several of them had been stolen and lost, so there's a chance that one of them was a bow of some sort." he said firmly. Incursio started disappearing, returning Bulat to his normal form. He reached into his pocket, brushing his hear into its usual heart shaped pompadour.

"Well, it's time to move on. Can I count on your to teach Sayo how to use a sword bro?"

"Definitely, you could use some training too. I caught some of your fights and your speed has decreased a bit." he said.

"That's because I didn't have you riding my ass daily while in Veronica. Maybe I got used to sleeping in and got a bit rusty...I'll definitely take you up on that offer." he said.

"Good, well, if you're going in order...that means the shooting range is next on the tour. Corny and Mine should be there, so have fun with that."

"Ugh...I hate it when those two get together. It's like an eternal dick measuring contest with them, always wanting to become a better shot, neither knowing that they're the best already. This is gonna be fun." he muttered dryly.

The shooting range was a bit far off from the hide out, enough for that the sound of gunfire didn't bother anyone, not that it would seeing as there was no one around but danger beasts. It was a large building, made entirely from sandstone. It was built into a cavern that had already been in the area, and had been converted to their use. The inside was completely state of the art, having electricity that ran off of solar crystals like most other areas in the Empire. The shooting range had eight lanes where one could shoot, four being for guns, and four being for archery.

Sounds of gunfire could be heard within, along with the dull echo of shell casings hitting the stone floor. Every other shot, a muffled scream could be heard, along with an insult or a swear. Zack wasn't looking forward to this area, but he was especially not looking forward to who was currently residing within. The gunshots stopped just as he opened the door, letting Sayo go in first.

"Goddamn it! I fucking had that, you were distracting me!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you said you were a master sniper, that means you should be able to hit a bullseye with all sorts of distractions!" a second voice called out. The first let out an angry growl. Zack turned the corner, seeing the two girls, glaring daggers at each other.

" _So, now I see why Mine is so pissed off, jeez Nelly, I told you to stop wearing that kinda crap when you're in here."_

Cornelia was a beautiful young woman, being the same age as Zack, seventeen. She had long blonde hair that reached down to her waist, along with brilliant cerulean eyes that sparkled like the ocean. She had fair colored skin, and was currently wearing a loose fitting white tank top, that showed quite a lot of her generous chest. She wore a pair of matching shorts, black in color with green suspenders. She was wearing her leather boots, the tops of her favorite green socks peeking over the top.

Unlike the blonde, Mine was wearing a rather elegant pink dress. It had a soft pink color, with long sleeves that had frilled cuffs. It reached down to her calves, and had a hot pink hem with small flowers embroidered into it. She wore a short poncho over her shoulders, which had various pink designs on it. She wore a pair of black stockings, with hot pink lines crisscrossing. On her feet she was wearing a pair of white boots, which also had pink lacing on it. Her long hair was tied up into twin tails, with a hair ribbon and a scrunchie.

"I am a master sniper bitch! You're just distracting me with those goddamn cow udders!"

"Oh? It isn't my fault that my amazing breasts distract you so. Leone's are much bigger than mine, and they don't distract you, what does that say about you eh Mine? You clearly don't have your life straightened out." Cornelia said, giving her chest a slight bounce, almost as a taunt to the pink haired girl.

"Oh for fuck sakes you two! It's the same shit whenever you're near each other, can you fucking move on already?" Zack snapped, startling the two young women.

"Ugh...what the hell Zack, don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're having an argument?" Mine asked, earning a sigh from the boy. He stood before the two shaking his head as he flicked both of them in the forehead.

"Ow!" they cried in unison.

"Finally, something you can both agree on. Listen goddamn it, this shit needs to stop...I know it can be a friendly match between each other, to see who's a better shot, but the arguments aren't healthy. We need to have a strong bond with each other, in order to be the very best we can be. If there's bad blood between you two, that could lead to a mistake...and you two mean a lot to me, I don't want to lose either of you." Zack said firmly. Mine flushed a bit, looking away while crossing her arms. Cornelia on the other hand rolled her eyes, flicking her hair behind her shoulder.

"Whatever...so this the new girl?" she asked, glancing at Sayo.

"Indeed, Sayo these two make up the artillery of the group. Cornelia is good with guns, she specializes in covert operations, stealth is her favorite game and she plays it well. She also happens to be my partner in crime." he said with a smirk.

"Charmed, did he tell you my kill count yet?" the blonde asked.

"Uh no...it never came up in conversation." Sayo said.

"Well, just so you know, it's in the thousands. I used to be an assassin for the Empire, taking care of all of the baddies that kept Minister Honest terrified at night. I was able to find out what was truly going on behind the scenes, and I left the first chance I got. Me and Akame were actually part of the same group, we're childhood friends...actually." the blonde said.

"Akame...she's the girl with the katana right?" Sayo asked.

"Bingo. She's the one you don't want to mess with...well I wouldn't mess with any of us. My name is Mine, I'm telling you this now...you don't belong in Night Raid, we're a serious group, and we handle this shit with the utmost respect, so don't fuck it up." Mine said firmly. She took a hold of a large black case, about to head out.

"Mine wait up...I'm introducing her to everyone, so before you leave, can you at least tell her a bit about yourself?" Zack asked. The pinkette sighed, glancing over her shoulder.

"She hasn't earned it. The only thing I'm willing to share with her, is that I'm not a person to fuck with. I've had a rough childhood, something a bumpkin like her won't understand." she said, leaving the shooting range.

"She uh...always like that?" Sayo asked, watching her retreating form through the window.

"Afraid so...Mine is a little difficult to get along with. The major reason being how she was treated growing up. She's half tribal, so a lot of people ostracized her, and didn't show her much respect. She grew up in the slums most of her life, before running away, eventually she picked up a gun and started fighting the Empire. The boss lady trainer her in firearms herself, just like me. She and Sheele joined Night Raid at the same time, since both came from the same camp." Zack said.

"Oh...I didn't know that happened to her...it must have been so rough for her." Sayo said, frowning a bit.

"It has been a bit tough, but she'll warm up to you soon enough. Just give her some space kay? As for her Teigu, if you're curious I can tell you about it. It's called Roman Artillery Pumpkin. It's a gun type teigu, which makes use of the users spirit energy, and fires it as concentrated ammunition. It has various barrel attachments, turning it into a sniper, rifle, shotgun, and sub-machine gun. Her gun gets stronger if she's in a Pinch...like for example, if she's surrounded and has her back to the wall." Cornelia said.

"I saw her obliterate an entire gun squad with a single shot. She's able to use Pumpkin as a sword too, by swinging the gun and firing at the same time, she can slice things in half with the beam. Funny thing, the boss used Pumpkin as her Teigu, before she lost her arm in a fight with General Esdeath." Zack said, shuddering a bit at the name. Sayo felt a chill go down her spine. She had never heard of this Esdeath, but if the looks on their faces was enough, she knew that woman was no one to mess with.

"So...what Teigu do you used Cornelia?"

"Please honey, call me Nelly, my full name can be a bit of a mouthful sometimes. As for a Teigu, I don't use one." she said.

"Huh? But everyone in Night Raid uses one, Zack told me last night that you were an elite team of Teigu users."

"We are, it's just that there was a shortage after the war four hundred years ago. In an attempt to recreate the Teigu, new weapons called Shingu were created, using the same ways used to make Teigu. Except they didn't come out right." the boy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ain't that the truth. Shingu are much different, in the sense that all of them make the user a super soldier. My Shingu in particular, Crushing King, gives me enhanced strength and durability. I can also pulverize anything in my path, however it isn't strong enough to go toe to toe with a Teigu. If I tried and went up against the wrong person, well...I'd probably lose my head." she said, placing her gauntlet back onto her arm, opening and closing her hand a few times. She grabbed the two rifles she and Mine had been using and started to clear them, placing them back in their racks.

"Ow...so when you mentioned her method of dealing with rapists was crushing their nuts, you weren't kidding...we're you?" Sayo asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"No I was not. Me and Nelly here met at the same refuge camp. I had been there for about a year, Najenda had trained me to use firearms and a spear, which I'll admit was my favorite weapon back then. I remember seeing Cornelia walking in with a few generals, she looked so...lonely. I wanted to befriend her right off the bat, I mean, she looked like she could use a friend. I fell in love right after." he said. Cornelia punched the boy in the arm, right in the same spot Sayo had hit him earlier. It made him writhe in pain.

"Goddamn it! Fucking Shit! Can't you take a fucking joke?" he shouted, rubbing his arm.

"No, especially when you say that shit all the fucking time...sheesh, it's like a broken record with him." the blonde said, earning a giggle from Sayo.

"Maybe he loves you for real, and you're just in denial, so you resort to punching him."

"What? Hell no, I would never fall in love with this blood loving idiot. You should see him when he's in battle, he pants more than a bitch in heat whenever he gets the chance to slice someone in half."

"What can I say, it's a gift!" Zack said, crossing his arms.

"I dunno...maybe Mine will steal him from you, I saw that blush she gave you when you said you cared about her."

"Sayo, we're just friends alright...this line of work...it's really tough on all of us. The mission comes before romance, even if we did have feelings for each other, we can't risk that. Not here anyway...Nelly, are your things ready? I feel like Najenda might give us a mission so it's best to be prepared."

"We're all prepped partner. You handled the last mission nicely, I wasn't expecting Najenda to leave you in charge of it though."

"Hey, I proved myself in the past, besides we've been in this shit the longest, I think she felt like I could handle the responsibility...then again, Akame is the leader of our group, so you know she was the better candidate." he said.

"Hey, you did great...it would have been better if we had a bit of a warning but, in all fairness you saved our lives, and we'll be forever grateful." she said happily.

"Well man, I'll catch ya inside. Leone said something about the boss lady being back, so I wanna take a shower before then. See ya."

"Alright, see ya around Nelly. Well then, now that we've seen everything in the base, it's time for us to head down to the river bank to find Akame...she's probably eating lunch right around now." he said, leading Sayo out of the shooting range.

They silently walked down the path leading down to the river. Sayo was honestly impressed with all of the nature around. As soon as she had seen the posters with Night Raid written on them, she had grown scared. She thought they were ruthless assassins, killing people for the hell of it, just to make some money. Seeing the area, she could tell they were all rather peaceful, despite them being assassins. She cleared her throat, grabbing Zack's attention.

"Hey, is it true that Nelly has killed more than a thousand people?" she asked. Zack gave her a nod, frowning a bit.

"She was the Empire's puppet...part of a group called the Elite Seven. Akame was the leader of that group, along with her little sister Kurome. She was trained to be a ruthless killer, taking down anyone who opposed the Empire. She told me the story of how she killed her first target...it was the middle of the night, and she had to sneak into their house. Turns out, they had been having a birthday party for their daughter that same day. If she didn't kill them all, she would die herself, and she didn't want to fail them. So she killed them all, but let the little girl live...she doesn't know if she's alive or not." the boy said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. No one should be able to have to do that." Sayo said.

"It is what it is...when you're conditioned from a young age to be an assassin, you have to do some horrible things. Akame's killed more people than anyone, she was a killer. But Najenda had been able to talk her down, get her to switch sides, and see the value of life. Now, she fights against the Empire that raised her into an assassin, and turned her little sister against her." he said. They came to a stop at the river bank, where Akame, Leone and Tatsumi were, in the middle of a conversation with another woman.

She was tall, being six feet in height, and had spiky silver hair. She was wearing a black business like suit, a black eye patch covering her left eye. Sayo also noticed the large metal arm that was attached to her body, it was green in color, and looked completely metallic.

"Esdeath and Najenda were generals in the Imperial Army, they ended up taking a mission together, to destroy an entire village. Najenda didn't want to kill anyone, so she turned against Esdeath. She tried talking her into leaving the Empire, and in return, she took her eye and her arm. Najenda almost died getting away, but she was taken in by the Revolutionary Army, and given that bionic arm. She's the one that taught me everything I know...she's practically my mom." he said, a small smile on his face.

"I can tell you care for her a lot. A strong team needs a strong leader, and she looks like a powerful woman, someone you don't want to mess with." Sayo said, slowly walking toward her.

"Hey Sayo, hey Zack...you showing her around the base?" Leone asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"Yeah, figured I would show her around, get her used to the base and stuff. Don't worry about a thing, she's already decided to join the cause." he said, crossing his arms.

"What? Sayo are you serious?" Tatsumi cried, earning a nod from the girl.

"Remember what Ieyasu said to as before he died...I want to make sure nothing like that happens to us again. We can't lose more people, and we have to make money for the village. Even if I die, someone else will be there to take the torch. If I don't bring down the bastard responsible for making all of us suffer, then someone else will do it for me. I'm an archer right? I have to do something with that skill." she replied.

"Hmm...you've got gumption, are you truly sure you want this?" Najenda asked, earning a nod from Sayo.

"I do, I've already decided." she said.

"Well, I would like to welcome you then...of course I'll do an official welcome with everyone as our witness. I'm sure Zack has told you, but my name is Najenda, I'm in charge of this rag-tag group of killers."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am...it's good to see you too Akame." Sayo said, earning a nod from the girl. She grabbed a piece of meat, handing it to the girl.

"You must be hungry, there's more if you want it." she said.

"Accept it, it's Akame's way of welcoming you to the group...she's also the cook here, so she knows what she's doing." Zack said, grabbing a bit of meat for himself. Sayo took it gratefully, taking a bite from it.

"Wow, this is delicious...what is it?"

"Evil Bird, I found when roasted over an open flame and basted with the saliva of a mole danger beast, it brings out the juices from the thick flesh." she said. Sayo swallowed hard, not wanting to be rude. Zack continued eating, not at all bothered by what the black haired girl had said.

"Anyway, continuing on down the line...Akame is the leader of our squad, she gives us our orders. Najenda gets our missions from HQ, and we fulfill them the best we can. She's highly trained, highly skilled, highly deadly, and if she's hungry, will eat you out of house and home. Her weapon of choice is this." Zack said, holding Murasame up.

"A katana?" Sayo asked.

"Not just any katana. This is the One Slice Killer: Murasame. It's a katana forged out of Orichilcum, and enchanted with a very powerful and very dangerous curse. One nick, one slice...one cut, it will kill anything that breathes. If it has a heart, it will kill it. It makes it a very dangerous sword, even when she cleans it." the boy said, drawing the blade slightly. Sayo looked at it, seeing her reflection on the edge of the blade.

"Wow, I didn't know that...kinda glad I had that statuette in my pocket now." Tatsumi said, chuckling dryly.

"You got really lucky bro. Okay then, last but not least is Leone...I'll tell you this now, don't trust this one with your wallet." he said.

"Aw come on Zacky, you're gonna give her a bad impression!" the blonde said, earning a growl from Tatsumi.

"You stole seven hundred gold from me, which I want as soon as possible!" he said.

"Seven Hundred Gold? That the same gold you used to buy medicine for the kids?" the boy asked, earning a nod from the blonde.

"Several kids caught the flu, and were doing really bad, I promised I would make them better, so I was swindling money in order to buy them meds. I promise to pay you back Tatsumi, every single coin...of course if Minister Honest wasn't in charge, there would be more money going to that area...he makes me sick." she said, clenching her hand.

"He makes all of us sick Leone, you'll get your comeuppance soon enough." Najenda said firmly.

"Okay, so now I get to explain the last Teigu currently in our possession. The King of Beast Transformation: Lionel. This belt is capable of giving the wearer all of the powers of a Lion class Danger Beast. Enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina. She also gets lion ears, a lion tail, longer hair, bigger boobs..."

"Okay, my boobs do not get bigger." Leone said, crossing her arms.

"You sure about that? I'm sure they do get bigger when you transform. Anyway, another thing her Teigu gives her is regeneration. All of her injuries heal at an exponential rate, but she can only wear it for so long. She'll run out of stamina if she keeps the transformation for longer periods of time. She showed me this really neat trick once." he said.

"A neat trick...what was it?" Sayo asked.

"Oh, I ended up cutting my hand off by accident, so I was able to use Lionel's regeneration with Lubbock's threads to sow the fucker back on. Hurt like a bitch though."

"Ah...okay fuck..I didn't need that visual." Tatsumi said, subconsciously grabbing his arm.

"Hey, she's lucky...at least she can sow her arm back on, I got not chance with mine." Najenda said, frowning a bit.

"Hey now, you're arm is badass! Anyway, we should call a meeting, Tatsumi I know you said you'd think about joining, but we really need an answer...I hope to work with you soon." Zack said, earning a nod from the brown haired boy.

It wasn't long before everyone was gathered at the main room, with Tatsumi and Sayo standing in the center of it. Bulat was leaning against the wall, fully dressed this time around. He was wearing a pair of white jeans, with a bright green shirt and a black jacket. He was leaning against the wall, looking at the floor. It was a bit obvious that Sayo was attracted to him, seeing as she kept stealing glances from him. Lubbock stood at the back of the room, fingers twitching slightly as he tightened his strings every other minute, making sure none of his wires were tripped.

Sheele, Akame and Mine stood next to each other, all of them glancing forward at the two newcomers. Zack was leaning on the opposite wall, his hood having been lowered. He only had his hood on when he was out in the city or was a bit nervous, something that didn't happen when he was with friends. Cornelia stood beside him, filing her nails with a small silver file, Crushing King was attached to her belt, gleaming in the light. Najenda puffed her cigarette, letting out a small smoke cloud.

"Tatsumi, Sayo...I have been told a lot about both of you. Leone has vouched to your willingness to kill, and how you handled our target quite elegantly. You are all aware of everything that's going on in the Empire...so I shall ask you, are you willing to join Night Raid? And help us change this corrupt Empire?"

"Um...I don't know...I haven't exactly thought about it...I mean...killing people is wrong." Tatsumi said.

"Well starving an empire is worse. You saw what that bitch was doing to those people from the country, our people Tatsumi...those who don't know the dangers of this hellhole. I've been in the capital for two days and they have been the worst two days of my life. Did you know the Empire destroyed Zack's village? And killed his parents?" Sayo asked firmly.

"Are you serious?" Tatsumi asked, earning a nod from the boy. He reached for his mask, taking it off in a fluid motion. The brown haired boy gasped in shock when he saw the burnt side of his face. Everyone looked at him in shock, as it had been the first time he had taken his mask off during their time knowing him.

"This is what the Empire did to my village, because we were bankrupt. All around this country, people are suffering, getting killed, having their children sold to slavery camps...who orders all of it? The Prime Minister! That mother fucker is responsible for all of the shit going on right now."

"They forced me and Akame to become assassins for them, to kill innocent people, those who threatened his rule...but not any longer. As soon as I joined Night Raid, I vowed my loyalty to the Revolution! I want a country where people won't die, where we can be free to do what we want, and not have to kill to survive another day!" Cornelia said firmly.

"Um...well.." Tatsumi said.

"I've already decided...I will join the cause...I can't bare to see my family suffer anymore. I know this line of work is dangerous, that at any moment, I could get my hole punched. But it would be much better to die saving this country than to die a victim of it." Sayo said firmly.

"She's got guts...we need guts...welcome to the team." Najenda said, earning a small fist pump from the girl.

"Tatsumi...it's alright if you don't want to accept. Sadly since you know the location of our hide out, we can't let you go...but you'll be hired as a staff member, you'll still make money for your village. But think about it, wouldn't it be better to kill the fucks who destroyed your village's income? Find the fuckers who made the drugs that killed Ieyasu?" Zack asked.

"That is true...but...I don't think I can show my face around my village anymore if I do join. I don't know much about Night Raid to begin with." He said.

"Well, we are a unit created by the Revolutionary Army to handle assassinations in the city. Right now we handle small killings, but soon enough we'll have power to bring down these evil men, and grab them by their balls. And then with this hand, we will proceed to crush said nuts. You've got nothing to give, but you have a lot to lose...it's alright to be scared...we understand." Najenda said. All of the men in the room subtly grabbed their nuts, making sure they were safe from their boss.

"So...since you are taking down bad people...you're like Assassins of Justice right? Taking down one evil person at a time for the good of the people!" he said cheerfully. They all broke into laughter, or rather most of them did. Zack cleared his throat, causing Cornelia to stop.

"Call it whatever you want man, murder is still murder. Anyone of us can get what's coming to us...we've taken enough lives...won't be long until karmic punishment gets us all." Bulat said. Tatsumi sighed, nodding to himself.

"Will this country of yours...will it be kind to its people?" he asked softly.

"More than that...we will take care of our people, we will help it flourish, and make sure no one ever harms her again." Najenda said.

"Alright then, sign me up because I am going to defeat that Minister! I owe it to Ieyasu!" he cried loudly, his voice echoing through the walls.

"Then Welcome Tatsumi, Sayo...to hell on earth!" Najenda said, holding her hand out to them.

"That doesn't sound safe." the boy whispered, shaking the metal arm, Sayo doing the same. Lubbock felt a sudden tug on his line, and glanced at his hand, seeing the wire attached to his middle and pinkie fingers moving.

"Look alive, we've got intruders...sectors G and I, six, maybe seven of them in those two areas." he said.

"Whoa, they managed to get that close? I'll give it to them...they're good." Cornelia said, reaching for her gauntlet.

"Alright then, Night Raid move out, take out the intruders. Consider this your initiation you two...don't fail me." Najenda said.

"Wait...I don't have a bow!" Sayo cried.

"Here, figured you would need it. You're with me new girl, Zack vouches for you, but I've got to see your skill myself." she said. Sayo looked at the black metal bow in her hands, seeing it was much larger than her original one, and had pulleys at the ends of the arms. She caught the quiver a second later, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Let's go Night Raid, we've got this!" Leone cried, dashing out of the hide out.

"Hey boss, can I bum one for the road?" Zack asked, earning a chuckle from the woman.

"You know smoking is bad for you." she said, holding the pack out to him. He grabbed the black stick, lighting it with her zippo.

"I know, but I'm more at risk of getting killed on the job than from cigarettes...we'll be back soon boss." he said, following after the others. His heart was beating fast, excitement already flowing through his veins.

" _I'm gonna have a lot of fun today!"_


	4. Kill the Imperials

**A/N: Hey everyone, welcome to chapter four of Akame Ga Kill Blood Rain. IN this chapter you will get to see an original mission, so I hope you all like it. I worked super hard on it, so I just felt the need to post it. There will be more original chapters like this in the future but for the most part the story will be linear with my own take on certain events of course. I want to make this story as original as possible but also keep it linear to the original story. Of course I want to make it as bloody as possible, since that's always fun, and I get to unleash the dark side when I write original missions...honestly the thing that bothered me the most was that special chapter with the three little girls that ended up getting...sold as sex slaves. I really hated that chapter, so I will most likely change that up and not have it happen.**

 **Yeah, I will get it worked out, so maybe those douchebags end up dying before they do anything, but it still fucking bothered me quite a lot. So I will teak it a bit. So, I hope you guys like this chapter, please let me know what you all think of it, I would really appreciate it. Thanks guys! Also, I just ran out of cellular data so i wont be posting anything for the rest of this week, sorry guys!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 4

Kill the Imperials

Running through the woods was honestly one of the best feelings, in Zack's opinion of course. Feeling the odd tranquility of nature, the scents, the sounds, it was all so alluring to him. The best types of missions were missions done in quiet areas, away from civilization, that way he could make as much noise as he wanted and not attract attention. You can also get rid of the bodies without having to hide them in a building, or having to explain things to people. The fact that these guys had gotten close was a rather impressive feat. It made him think back to the Tribal people that had aligned themselves to the Empire, surely their abilities had been employed in this operation.

A sudden gunshot caused him to slide to a stop. He leaned against a tree, panting for breath as he reached for his shotgun. He glanced around, his eyes scanning his surroundings, he looked all over the place. Anywhere and everywhere. He had learned that people usually made some interesting hiding places when fighting others. He took a deep breath, dropping to the ground, just as a bullet struck the tree, exactly where his head had been. He pressed himself against the rock, a smirk on his face.

"You sure you hit him?"

"I'm pretty sure, my aim is the best in the tribe man, no way in hell I would miss." a second voice said.

"Yeah, well look at that...a hole in the tree, you did miss dumbass." the first said, slapping the second in the head. Zack glanced up, seeing the men standing at the edge of the ledge.

"I'm sorry man, I thought I had him, he must have gotten away...I'll get him next time." he said. Zack smirked inwardly.

" _Sorry buddy, there won't be a next time."_ he thought, jumping up, grabbing a hold of the man's shoe. He used his weight to bring the man down, pulling him off the cliff. He let out a yelp as he slammed into the ground.

"Sayonara." the cloaked boy said, puffing his cigarette as he blew the man's head off.

"Holy shit! Steve!" the first man cried, taking aim at Zack with his rifle. He let out a hail of gunfire, hoping to hit the teen. The cloaked teen jumped up onto the boulder, landing on the ledge. The dark skinned man let out a scream, running at him with his rifle, swinging it at him. Zack easily disarmed him, snapping his arm in half. He spun him around, driving the barrel of his shotgun into the back of his head.

"Requiescat in Pace." he said softly, pulling the trigger. A mist of red filled the air as he tossed the body aside, letting out a sigh. He replaced the two shells he had spent, and jumped off the ledge, continuing on his way.

Cornelia frowned, having stopped when she heard the sounds of gunfire. She recognized one set as Zack's shotgun. She had heard it so many times that she could recognize it easily. She pressed herself against the nearby tree, clenching her hand a bit. She had a semi-automatic pistol in her hand, ready to use it if necessary.

Sayo was standing at the tree beside her. She was surprised the black haired girl had been able to keep up. She was a natural runner, much more than other people. She held her bow tightly in her right hand, having set up the arrow, to draw it back with her left. She had been steadying her breathing a bit, closing her eyes for a few seconds at a time.

" _She must be using her hearing to find our attackers. She really is a natural born hunter, not a lot of girls choose the boy as a weapon, but her's is like an extension of herself."_

Sayo's eyes snapped open, and she left the safety of the tree, drawing her arrow back as far as she could. At the same time, one of their targets was casually walking toward them, not having sensed either of them in front of him. He suddenly looked up, a look of shock and surprise in his face. An arrow stabbed through his throat a second later, a gurgled sound leaving his lips. A second one got him in the eye, the body dropping like a sack of bricks.

"Shit, sorry...I aimed a little low with the first one." Sayo said, a sheepish smile on her face.

"It's fine...whatever gets the job done right?" Cornelia asked, walking over to the body. She pulled both arrows free, spraying a bit of blood onto the ground. She handed them over to Sayo, who wiped them clean with a cloth she had brought.

"These guys are from the southern tribes...I didn't think they would join forces with the Empire." Sayo said, a frown on her face.

"You're well read up. The Empire is currently fighting several tribes, at the north, south, and eastern borders. They're also fighting people from the Principality, where our HQ is located." the blonde said. She heard a rustle nearby, and quickly pushed Sayo to the ground, holding her fist up, using her gauntlet to block the gunshot.

"What the fuck?" the shooter cried. He cocked his shotgun, taking aim again, but he was too late. Cornelia grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, snapping it in half with ease. She gave the man a smirk.

"Hey sexy, didn't you know shooting defenseless girls is wrong?" she asked. He let out a yelp of fear, turning tail to run, only for her to close the distance. She punched the back of his head, breaking his skull in a solid hit.

"Damn, I'm surprised his head didn't pop off!" Sayo said.

"That's honestly the best part...look alive, there might be more." the blonde said, earning a nod from the archer.

Lubbock sighed as he tightened his grip. His strings had snared someone, and he had to check out who it was. He walked into the nearby cavern, coming to a stop in front of the young woman he had caught, who was struggling with her bindings. She looked at him, eyes widening.

"Please, you've got to let me go! I'm not going to hurt you, I'll do anything, I'll even give you my body! Just don't kill me!" the girl cried.

"I knew it was a little light, course it has to be a girl...man, sometimes this job sucks." he said, tightening his strings. The girl let out a pained scream, dropping to the ground a second later. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off, a frown on his face.

"Marna, are you here? I heard your voice, call out if you can hear me!" a gruff voice called out. Lubbock hid behind a rock, peeking slightly to see a large wolf like man, holding a club in his hands. He smirked, licking his lips.

"Better see what this man wants." he said.

He jumped out from behind the rock, taking the man by surprise. He let out a growl, swinging at the teenager, shattering the boulder he had just been hiding behind.

Lubbock flung his strings at teach chunk of rock, snagging them in his grasp. He started swinging his makeshift flail, slamming it against the wolfman's head. He let out a cry of pain, running at Lubbock again. He quickly wrapped his legs in thread, making him fall to the ground. The green haired teen swung his flail at his head with all his force, smashing his head in.

"That was easier than I thought...whoops, I missed one." he said, quickly throwing a kunai at an archer that had been hiding in the trees. He grabbed his leg in pain, falling off the tree, a loud snap filling the area as his body was hung by a noose. Lubbock let out a chuckle, walking away from the scene, an accomplished smirk on his face.

"So Sheele, do you think the freshies are dead yet?" Mine asked, sitting on a log, with Pumpkin in her hands.

"I don't think so, they look capable. Sayo can handle herself, one look and I knew she was good at what she did. Tatsumi...he needs a little motivation." the violet haired girl replied. Mine blinked a few times, giving her a smile.

"That's one thing I like about you Sheele, you're honest when it comes to your thoughts...never change, okay?"

"Hmm? Okay I guess...I suppose that's another thing I'm good at." she said.

"There you are, Night Raid!" a wolfman cried, jumping at Mine. She quickly rose her gun, about to fire at him, only for a gunshot to tear through the air. The man landed on the ground in a heap, a bullet hole tearing through his forehead.

"Whoops, sorry...that bastard got away from me." Zack said, appearing through the brush, clutching his side. He held Crescent Rose against his shoulder, a bit of blood dripping from the tip.

"Are you alright Zack?" Sheele asked, concern written on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine...my regeneration kicked in, so it'll be sealed up soon. Look alive, we've got more." he said, pointing behind them. Four muscular tribesmen appeared from the forest, all of them holding swords in their hands. Mine clicked her tongue, biting her lip.

"Looks like I'm in a pinch." she said softly, her trigger finger tensing a bit.

"You better shoot before I swing." Zack said, spinning his scythe around, holding It in a defensive stance. The men shot forward, causing Mine to shoot. They jumped out of the way, though one of them was vaporized by the shot instantly. Zack moved in front of Mine, parrying the slashed aimed at her.

The man continued slashing at the boy, aiming at his hands, which he kept shifting so he wouldn't lose a finger. The tribesman pushed the boy back, almost throwing him off the side of the cliff. Zack smirked, spinning his scythe around, the barrel facing behind him. He pulled the trigger, the recoil sent him flying forward. With another gunshot, he spun the scythe around, aiming for his head, only for the man to dodge completely.

" _Shit!"_ he cried in his mind.

"You're through Reaper boy." the man cried, aiming his sword right at Zack's chest. He waited for the blade to pierce his skin, only it never did. He opened his eyes, seeing the tip of a sword coming out of the man's body. The sword slowly opened, slicing the man in half. Sheele swung her blade, clearing it of blood. One final gunshot rung through the air, the last tribesman had fallen by Mine's hand.

"Nice job, although you could have done better Zack, you're getting rusty. Even Sheele had to save your pathetic ass!" she said, causing the boy to growl.

"Don't test me pinkie, I'm not afraid to slap a woman." he said firmly. Mine growled angrily, glaring at the boy.

"Oh yeah, just try to slap me, I assure you it won't go over well."

"I doubt it, normally you would be able to dodge it...oh wait no you can't, you can't do shit unless you're in a pinch, my bad." he said, placing his scythe on his shoulder as he started walking away not at all caring about the blood he was walking on.

" _Be a bush, let no one see you."_ Tatsumi thought to himself, as he held two branches above his head. He frowned, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Dammit, bro let me do this one on my own. I'll admit, Incursio was pretty cool, and using its invisibility to sneak around is a good idea...I just wish I wasn't so out in the open." he muttered under his breath.

He heard a rustle nearby and pressed himself harder onto the ground. Walking in front of him was a large tribesman, holding a scimitar in his hands, a rather common weapon for the tribes of the south. He swallowed hard, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He took a deep breath and sprung forward, throwing a wide slash at the man, who easily blocked it.

"Well lookie here, a member of Night Raid, just who I was looking for!" the man said, pushing the boy back.

" _That was fast, how was he able to block me so easily?"_

"Didn't they ever teach you that staring is wrong?" the man asked, taking a swing at the boy. He jumped back, only for the tree beside him to get slashed right in half. Tatsumi growled and jumped forward, slashing the man across the chest, a stream of blood flying out of the cut.

"Heh, got ya now!" he said proudly, throwing a jab at the man. He let out a gasp of pain, falling to the ground. Tatsumi shook his sword free of blood, turning away from the man.

"Gotta admit, you were pretty fast, but I'm faster...that's why you're dead." he said with a shrug, about to walk away. The man grinned, grabbing his scimitar. He let out a battle cry, causing Tatsumi to turn around, eyes widened.

A blur zoomed past him, parrying the hit with enough strength to knock the man back several meters. Tatsumi only stared in awe as Akame stood before him, holding her katana tightly in her hand.

"Akame of Night Raid, more dangerous than even Hundred Killer Bulat! If I take you're head back to the Minister, I'll get a handsome reward!" the man said. He suddenly gasped, feeling a sharp sting in his throat.

"You're folly is in your words. Speaking too much gives your opponent a chance to strike...rest in pieces." she said softly, finishing the man off by slicing his head off. Tatsumi swallowed hard, watching the body drop lifelessly to the ground.

"He was so fast..I didn't even see him." he said softly.

"The first rule of being an assassin is to always have a firm look at your opponent. Just because he's on the ground, doesn't mean he's dead. Always go in for the killing blow, even if you think they maybe dead." she said, sheathing her sword. He gave her a nod, glancing back at the deceased man.

"He said something about the Minister...we can safely assume it was him who sent them right?" he asked.

"Yes, and they've gotten quite close for comfort, but we've dealt with the rest, so no one knows we are here, for now. Let us return to base and relay our report to the boss." she said, walking back toward the base. Tatsumi stared at the man again, grimacing a bit before following the black haired woman.

 _ **xxx Imperial Palace: Throne Room xxx**_

"Your Majesty, it seems the reports have come back. Hugo Strange and Galynth Dysly were in fact slain by Night Raid. By the looks of it, it seems like it was one of the stronger members. Many of them sported the same type of mark, a crushed head, or their bodies sliced cleanly in half." a man said, looking up at his Emperor.

He was in fact a seven year old boy, who sat proudly upon his throne. He was wearing a tricorn hat, with the main colors being blue, white and green. He wore a matching long sleeved shirt and shorts, along with matching boots. In his hand was the royal scepter, passed down from Emperor to Emperor. Around him was his senate, and behind him was one of the most hated men in the Empire.

He was a portly man, with a disgusting hankering for fresh meat. He had long white hair, and an equally long beard. His portbelly was hidden by his very expensive looking attire. He had a bit of a grin on his face, as he continued munching on the meat he had brought with him.

"Hmm...this is a most pressing matter...are you certain it was Night Raid who did it sir?" Emperor Makoto asked, earning a nod from the man, who looked at his papers.

"I-Indeed. Hugo Strange's head was found embedded into the ceiling. We had a hard time identifying everyone else due to the fire, but it was indeed them." the man said.

"Tch...good riddance. Those idiots borrowed one of our best gunning squads and got them all killed. Sure, they brought us extra funds with the drugs they were peddling, but they weren't able to hire good men." the Minister said, growling a bit as he pulled another chunk of his meat into his mouth.

"Your Majesty, there have also been reports of a well known rapist also being slain, in the same manner as Dysly. It seems his genitals were ripped off his body, before he was sliced in half, vertically. We have also received news from the Astrea Plantation, the entire family was slain three days ago."

"Damn, those bastards. Hector Astrea was one of our most important contacts! He was responsible for weeding out possible insurgents! Tch...I told him his little hobby was gonna get him killed." one of the senators said firmly.

"Night Raid has been quite active recently, doesn't this make you angry sire?" Honest asked, earning a nod from Makoto.

"Yes...Guards, tell Captain Ogre to increase security around the city, let it be known that we are on the hunt for Night Raid, and any possible information will be very much appreciated." Makoto said firmly.

"Yes Sir!" the guard cried, racing out of the room.

"Hmm...good call...but I'm sure you're anger is still there, is it not?" the bearded man asked. Makoto looked at the man kneeling before him still holding the reports.

"Yes...it does...sir, you did well in bringing the reports in, but sadly this only displeases me...for that I sentence you to thirty years of hard labor, starting today." he said, the dull thud of his scepter filled the room.

"What? No, your majesty please don't do this! I was hired to bring you reports from the field! I have a daughter, she's the only thing I got left in this world!" the man cried, as chains were attached to his wrists and ankles.

"Worry not sir, you're daughter will be well taken care of, I assure you." Minister Honest said, licking his lips. The man's screams could be heard in the throne room, well after he was dragged outside.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Headquarters xxx**_

"I see, so all of the targets were taken care of." Najenda said, earning a nod from Akame.

"Yes, Tatsumi was able to take care of one, but I assisted him with the second one." she replied.

"I took down four, three by myself and one when Mine and Sheele got surprised." Zack said, puffing his cigarette.

"I got three myself. One smoking hot girl inside the cave, a large brute outside of it and a guy who was trying to be sneaky...hung him by the neck until he was dead." Lubbock said firmly, tightening his strings a bit.

"New girl got one while she was with me. You should have seen her in action, using her hearing and everything. She's a total huntress, with a little more training, she'll be an excellent addition to the team!" Cornelia said cheerfully, causing Sayo to blush.

"You're giving me too much credit. I totally missed my first shot, got the bastard in the throat." she said, lowering her head a bit.

"No shame in that, we can't all hit the mark. I recommend training with Mine for awhile, she is our best sniper so she'll teach you everything she knows." Bulat said, earning a nod from the black haired woman.

"Yes, that would be ideal but that will have to wait a few days. We got an urgent mission from Headquarters, they're requesting quite a few of you. Bulat, Mine, Sheele, Lubbock, Zack and Cornelia, all of you have some targets to handle." Najenda said.

"Oh, a mission from higher up, it's been awhile. I feel so appreciated." Cornelia said, earning a sigh from the black haired boy.

"God, it better not be to check in with the Regional Team, I got a thorn in my ass that follows me everywhere when I go to Veronica." Zack said, earning a chuckle from the boss.

"Oh come on, you know she means well...anyway it isn't about meeting the Regional Team. You six were requested specifically to handle some very dangerous targets in three different towns. Sheele, Bulat, you will be team A, and will go to Shin Village, Mine, Zack you two are Team B and will head to the city south of the capital, Marina. Finally, Cornelia and Lubbock are Team C and will be heading to Shamo Village near the desert." Najenda said firmly.

"Well, looks like we're partners for this mission, try not to shoot me, alright Mine?" Zack asked, earning a sigh from the pinkette.

"Sure...whatever...what are the parameters for this mission?" She asked.

"That will be explained by our contacts at each of those locations...I wish you good luck, come back home safe and sound alright?" Najenda said firmly.

"Right!" they cried in unison.

"Hey boss, what about us?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"You and Sayo will remain here at the base to train your abilities. Tatsumi, I want you to Shadow Akame, Sayo you'll be doing the same with Leone, you'll both be in top shape in no time." the boss said, earning a nod from the two new recruits.

"Well, I wish you luck. Leone can be a bit wild, but she means well, if she gives you alcohol, don't accept it, and if she takes you to the slums, keep a close eye on her so you don't get ditched, see ya." Zack said, following the rest of his friends toward the door.

"Somehow I feel we got metaphorically ditched." Sayo said.

"I get what you mean." Tatsumi said, glancing at Akame who was busy munching on some chips. He let out a sigh, knowing he was in for quite the lesson.

 _ **xxx Southern Path: Marina Trail xxx**_

Zack frowned a bit at the silence within the cart they had rented. Mine wasn't one for conversation, so sometimes it was hard to even communicate with her. He remembered the first time he had met the pinkette sniper. It had been right after Najenda lost her arm to Esdeath. He remembered a pink haired girl walking into the camp, wearing some shredded clothes, her hair all dirtied and mattered. She didn't speak to anyone but Najenda. It was then that the woman took her under her wing.

She had developed her own sense of style, choosing to wear mostly pink clothing. She had gotten a knack for firearms, being able to disassemble rifles and shotguns in only minutes. When she had seen Pumpkin for the first time, she had thought it was another more advanced rifle. She had decided to take it to the range and try it out. When Najenda came looking for her, she had been surprised to see her using the weapon she had once used herself. She knew then that Mine was destined for greatness.

Zack himself had met Mine a few weeks after Cornelia had arrived at the camp. He remembered walking down the street of the city that had allied itself with the Revolutionary Army, and had seen her looking at a pink dress in the window. He wondered over to her, asking her what was wrong, only for him to get chewed out. He didn't speak with her much, but he did remember saying that pink was a pretty color, and that if she chose to wear it, it would make her eyes sparkle in the light. It had been the last time he would see her, until Night Raid was formed at least.

"Something the matter? You're always the chatty one during missions, cat got your tongue?" Mine asked, giving the boy a sneer. He rolled his eyes, leaning back against his seat.

"I could ask you the same thing sweetheart, you haven't said a word to me since you left the shooting range. What's the matter, you can trust me you know." he said.

"It's the newbies alright? I don't feel like they belong with us...they're just so...I dunno...uncultured?" she asked.

"That tens to happen when you're from the boonies. Come on, I was a country bumpkin too you know." he said firmly. She looked away from him, glancing out the small window on the side of the cart.

"Yeah, but you trained yourself to fight. The first thing that I was told when I arrived at Veronica Squire was not to mess with you. Apparently some of the other refugees were badmouthing your sister and you got really pissed off." she said.

"Who wouldn't? You can't walk up to me, call my sister a whore and expect to walk away with all of your teeth still in your mouth. That kid had it coming, it was just good that Cornelia was with me, or else I would have shattered his fucking skull." he said firmly, glancing at his lap. They remained silent for a few minutes, before Mine finally had the courage to speak. She bit her lip a bit, taking a deep breath.

"About your mask...why did you decide to show everyone that now?" she asked.

"I needed to give Tatsumi a sense of motivation. He's a good kid, and has what it takes to become a good assassin, but without him seeing just how horrible the Empire truly is...I doubt he would have agreed. For Sayo, seeing those bodies was enough...she'll be a good assassin, so please be nice to her." he said. She sighed, giving him a slight nod.

"I am the best sniper in this group, with a bow or with a gun, I can definitely put one between the eyes of any fucker that messes with me." she said.

"That's what I like to hear. Any idea what we're being sent out for?" he asked, taking a peek out the window, as the approached the seaside city of Marina.

"No...but something tells me we're dealing with Imperials, Marina is the second largest Port in this country, so it makes sense that the Minister would want to defend it." She said, placing her hands on Pumpkin's case. Zack smiled brightly.

"Awesome, fighting Imperial Soldiers is the greatest way to blow off steam. This is gonna be good!" he said cheerfully. Mine held back the urge to grimace, knowing full well how Zack got when he was given a mission against the Imperial Army.

As per orders, the cart left them just outside of the city. Marina was a large city, housing close to 100,000 people. All of the city streets were lined with bright lime stone roads, and the buildings were made mostly of brick and mortar, though there were some wooden buildings reserved as national monuments. From the top of the hill, once could see the Port of Marina in its entirety. The crystal blue ocean could be seen, the sound of seagulls carried by the salty sea breeze. But the thing that worried the two was the large frigate docked at the port.

It was a large wooden ship, with large white sails and a flag that bared the crest of the Empire. It was a beautiful wooden ship, retrofitted with cannons all along the port and starboard sides. The mast was thick and reached high into the sky, holding the largest of the three sails, currently furled as they were docked. There was a wooden angel carved into the bow of the ship, and in her hands was an urn with the crest of the Empire. Zack gulped a bit when he saw it.

"Shit...I wasn't expecting the Wicked Wench to be here. That means there are Navy men here." he said.

"That's a worrying thought. Come on, our contact is waiting for us at the Salty Spittoon, don't attract attention to yourself. Neither of us may be on wanted posters, but that doesn't mean we won't catch attention." Mine said, walking down into the city. Zack followed close behind, pulling his hood over his head.

The streets of Marina were quite lively, livelier than the capital in fact. Most of the people out and about were fishermen, bragging about their daily catches and the prices that will beat others in the city. A few women were out shopping with their children, who were asking and begging for a toy or candy. There was also quite a large number of Imperial Police walking around. It was as if they were searching for someone, but neither he or Mine had seen any wanted posters.

Finally reaching the pub, the two teenagers walked inside, earning a nod from the doorman. Zack gave him a smirk, already knowing he was part of the Revolutionary Army, no doubt sent to assist their contact. They walked further into the dark, smoke infested bar, looking around for someone who they might recognize. Zack spotted a hooded figure in the back, sitting at an empty booth. They walked toward it, taking a seat across from the cloaked person. Mine was about to speak when Zack rose his hand.

" _On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;_

 _And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming."_ he said, earning a smirk from the boy across from him.

" _And the lamp-light o'er him streaming_

 _Throws his shadow on the floor;_

 _ **And my soul from out that shadow lies floating on the floor**_

 _ **Shall be lifted-Nevermore!"**_

"Good to know you're still alive Zack." the person said, lowering their hood, revealing the face of a young man, in his late teens, with messy silvery gray hair and blue eyes. He had a large scar across his face, from one of his many sword fights.

"Good to see you too Silver. Mine this is a friend of mine from the Eastern Squadron, he's a Sargent for the army." Zack said briefly.

"Sargent Major now, actually. It's a pleasure to meet you miss, you can call me Silver. If you must know, I do have my hands on an Imperial Arm, but that's something I'll show you later. We're here for something serious, it seems Minister Honest has dispatched a regimen of Imperial Soldiers to Marina. The reason being, a very important senator is currently in town." He said.

"A senator? Who might I ask?" Zack asked.

"Senator Frolo, a very important man in the current senate, and the one currently pushing for higher taxes to low income villages." he said.

"The bastard...he's the one that got away from me the last time I was sent on a mission. So, he's in town huh? That explains why the Wicked Wench is here." Mine said firmly.

"The Wicked Wench is the fastest ship in the Empire's navy. It being here means that they are loading up, most likely to take on the rebels of the south. It makes it the perfect chance to seize it, while we have the chance." the cloaked boy said.

"Whoa wait a minute...the mission was to take out Senator Frolo, not steal the Empire's strongest vessel...are you insane Zack?" Silver asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"You know me man, I came from a village near the sea, I know my way around a ship, it will be easy to take care of it, especially while it's getting cargo. Think of it this way, the Senator's Mansion is at the top of the hill, facing the ocean, we can easily use the armament on the ship to cause a stir." Zack said.

"Would be much easier to go in and take him out, just to make sure." the silver haired boy said, earning a smirk from Mine.

"Excuse me, you are looking at the best sniper in the business. That mast is really tall, as long as I get a vantage point, I can get him." She said.

"Further more, if we get ourselves in a Pinch, her power increases, so all we have to do is steal the ship, shoot the port, badda bing, badda boom, target neutralized." Zack said, a smirk on his face. He pulled a cigarette from his pack, lighting it with the candle that was on the table.

"You're fucking insane...but it's a good plan...and even if we fail, we'll still have a stocked warship for our own navy, which in the end is better than going home empty handed." Silver said.

"Alright then, we've got a plan, we've got to wait for the cover of night...for now let's survey the area, we'll meet up at the port after sundown." Zack said firmly.

He didn't show it, but he was grinning inwardly. He was definitely going to brag to Cornelia about this mission. He was going to have a lot of fun pretending to be a pirate for a few hours. For now however, he would walk around the city, and see just how many imperial soldiers were around, including the ones that were on the frigate, for this to work, he would have to sneak aboard the vessel, and that meant being as stealthy as he could.

"Zack, we're gonna need weapons...I have a friend in town who's in charge of the armory, he'll let us go with whatever we need." Silver said.

"Lead the way then, Mine stay close." the boy said, earning a nod from the pinkette, who had been looking at a pink shawl in the store they had passed. He made a mental note to come back for it when he had the chance. Following Silver, they walked down a more secluded street, heading toward the building on the corner. Silver looked around, before giving a knock on the door, followed by three knocks, silence, and then two knocks. The door opened just a crack, barely enough too look through.

"Password." the voice said, Zack noticed it was distinctly female. Silver let out a sighed, shaking his head.

"Nevermore." he said softly. The woman closed the door and undid the chain, opening the door for the three of them to enter. She closed the door shortly after.

Zack glanced at the woman, eyes widening in surprise. She was just as tall as him, with lightly tanned skin and brilliant green eyes. She had long brown hair, falling down her shoulders, down to her mid back. She was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, with a matching white skirt and brown leather boots. She tilted her head in confusion, looking him over.

"Is something the matter sir?"

"No...you're just...you look like my sister Hilda...she's been missing for awhile now." he said.

"Oh...my mistake, I'm sorry if I remind you of her, it must be hard to not know about your sibling. I myself have lost my brother in battle, but that was a long time ago. You two must be the members of Night Raid Silver has told me about, if so then welcome." she said, giving them a bow.

"I gotta say, you've got some neat stuff in here." Mine said, grabbing an M1 Garand from a rack of rifles. She looked it over, holding it to her shoulder, looking down the iron sight.

"Of course. Martha here supplies both the Imperials and the Revolutionaries. She always gives the enemy faulty weaponry, so they can come back for spare parts and give her more money, it's a good ploy isn't it?" Silver asked, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulder.

"If you say so...come, you must be in need of weapons. Just let me know what you'll need and I shall provide it free of charge." Martha said, walking toward the back counter, where several more rifles had been placed, all of them loaded with magazines.

"I need poison blades for my Phantom Blade. We're gonna try to take the Wicked Wench tonight and I'll need them for silent kills." he said. Her eyes widened a bit in shock.

"You...plan to take the Empire's fastest Frigate? You've got some balls." she said, reaching underneath the counter. She placed a black case on the counter top, flicking it open.

"But, I've got just what you need. Replacement blades, hollow blades, blades filled with an acidic neurotoxin and a new type of poison from a sea type Danger Beast." she said, holding the blue tinged blade out to him.

"A new poison? What does it do?" he asked curiously.

"A single nick or slash from this blade will instantly start freezing the target's blood, freezing them from the inside out. I call it, Icicle Poison." she said.

"That would suck, I can't even imagine that." Silver said, shivering a bit. Zack only grinned as he replaced the blade with the hollow one he had pre-installed into his Phantom Blade.

"It's gonna be so fun to play with these toys. It really is."

"Martha, I need a silenced rifle, the best one you got. If we're really taking this ship over, we'll need to be quick about it." Silver said.

"I've got just what you need, just came in from the smith in the big city." she said, pulling out a black case placing it on the counter.

"An anti-material rifle...with an M-tech silencer...this is a good gun." Mine said, running her fingers over the rifle. It was black in color, having a pistol grip lower, and an AR upper, with an extended barrel. It had a rail on the bottom with a tripod. It also had an M-tech scope on it.

"It can fire semi-automatic and fully automatic, so it will do for what you want it to do. It chambers in .308, so it packs a punch...have fun with it." Martha said, giving him an emotionless smile. She pulled out a fanny pack, filled to the brim with loaded magazines. Silver grinned, closing the case.

"Anything else?" Martha asked, earning a nod from Zack.

"I need a handgun, .45 APC should do, and if you have a silencer, that would be great." he said. She nodded, reaching once more below the counter. She pulled out a black case, flicking it open.

"1911 Silverballer, with a platinum suppressor. It used to belong to a captain in the Empire's army, so you can have it free of charge, even after the mission is through." Martha said, earning a nod from the boy. He pulled out his rifle, placing it on the counter with all of the ammunition he had for it.

"You can have this one, it's served me well, but it could go at any moment, I'm sure you can get new parts for it and give it a new life. I've got other rifles back at the base anyway." he said.

"Alright, here are all of the magazines for that gun, you'll need them." the woman said, handing him a pack filled with magazines. He started emptying it, placing all of the magazines into the enchanted pockets at his waist.

"I think we're all set, if we don't go now, then we won't make it to the port before sundown." Mine said.

"She's right...thanks for this Martha, it means a lot that you're helping us out like this." Zack said, placing the last magazine inside his pouch. He did the same with all of the spare blades he had been given.

"It's no issue, I'm just doing my part to end the current Empire. Good luck with the frigate." she said, earning a nod from the three assassins.

 _ **xxx Location: Marina's Port: Wicked Wench xxx**_

The area around the port was quiet. Due to the fact that an Imperial Navy Vessel was docked at the port, the area was completely blocked, so civilians couldn't get in. Most of the crew belonging to the ship was out and about, spending time at bars and what not. The captain wasn't around either, and neither was the first mate, making it rather easy to get near the ship. In fact, most of the crew was currently at a party at Senator Frolo's house, making it much easier for them to be taken care of.

"So, do you think we'll be here long?" one of the crew members asked, glancing at his friend. The other man was standing by the gangplank, holding a rifle in his hand.

"Hell if I know...we don't have any Navy guys with us, just us crew members. We haven't gotten all of the livestock in the cargo hold yet. Man, did you see all of those weapons though? Makes me think we're going to war." the second said.

"We are, I heard we're gonna head toward the eastern frontier to face the rebel army. Damn tribal bastards." he hissed.

"They're lucky General Esdeath is in the north right now, or else they would have been wiped out entirely. Speaking of that, do you think she's coming back soon?"

"I don't think so...I heard the northern state has that Naga guy, the hero of the north. Some people said she'd probably be gone for the rest of the year, makes it more fun for us." the first man said, earning a nod from the second. The man stiffened having heard something.

"What's wrong Max? You see something?" his friend asked, rising his rifle.

"Nah...thought I heard something flapping, probably a dam gull...let's just focus on guarding this thing, the others are asleep so it would suck if something happened." he said.

A second later, his head snapped to the side, body falling back into the water. Before his friend could even say something, he felt something grab him, blocking his mouth entirely. He let out a muffled scream, his head being twisted to the side. He fell to the ground dead, having his neck completely broken.

"Idiots." Zack muttered, holding his hand up.

Mine and Silver quickly moved forward, following the boy up the gangplank toward the boat deck. He looked around for a few seconds, seeing no one on the deck. He paused when he saw a lamp at the crows nest. By the sounds of it, the two look outs didn't see what happened to their friends down below.

"I got them." Mine said softly, placing her detachable scope around her eye. She pointed her rifle up at the crows next, taking aim at the first man. She squeezed the trigger, a glowing bullet went through the bottom of the next, killing the man instantly. She killed the second man before he could ring the bell.

"You two work fast." Silver said, walking onto the deck. Zack looked around, holding his pistol tightly in his hand, keeping his eyes open. He started moving back toward the helm, keeping his steps light as he walked up the wooden steps. He saw a man looking at a diamond closely with a magnifier. He looked up briefly, letting out a gasp, only to get shot in the eye a second later.

"The spoils of war." Zack said softly, grabbing the uncut rock from the ground, placing it in his pocket.

"Captain's quarters are clear, we need to head below decks." Silver said, slicing the rope that made the bell work.

"I'll keep a look out and shout if anyone approaches." Mine said, leaning up against the doorway. Zack and Silver headed downstairs, going down to the first floor of the frigate.

A large hallway spanned behind them, being painted in brilliant colors. Several doors could be seen, most likely the rooms for the high ranking officers of the navy. Since this was the Flagship of the Royal Navy, it made sense for the officers to have good accommodations. Zack opened the door to the first room, shooting the two men that were sleeping inside. Silver smirked as he reached the second office, peeking through the porthole.

"Looks like you'll get to see my Imperial Arm in action." he said softly. He reached for his waist, where his weapon had been sheathed, in a bright crimson scabbard, he drew it slightly, simultaneously opening the door. The man that was inside looked up from his reading a look of surprise in his face.

"What the hell? Who are you?"

"Your death bringer! Lightning Flash!" he chanted, drawing the rapier from his waist. Faster than light, he jabbed the man before him. He was too stunned to even react. With one final thrust, he pierced his heart, causing him to fall back into the wall, sliding to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Whoa...a speed based sword teigu?" Zack asked.

"Mhmm...this is the Rapier of the Princess: Lambent Light. This Teigu was created to aid the Princess of the Empire, the first born daughter of the first Emperor. It was passed down the royal bloodline, until it was stolen five hundred years ago." the man said, showing the boy the sword.

It looked like a normal rapier, with an almost clear blade, made entirely out of orichilcum. He saw a lightning bolt etched into the blade, along with some other markings. The guard of it was around, blue in color with a beautiful sapphire on the front, which glittered in the moonlight.

"Wow, it's pretty." he said.

"Yup, it allows me to strike with incredible speed, often times making it impossible for anyone to counter attack. Let's go, we need to hurry and take care of these fucks." he said, sheathing his sword.

The two continued clearing out the rest of the ship, making sure there was no one alive inside. They went down to the lower areas of the ship, taking out any and all crew members that ran into. They also reached the brig, seeing several prisoners inside. Zack quickly took out the guards there, walking over to one of the cells.

"Please mister, you have to help us! Our village was destroyed by that Frolo guy!" a little girl cried.

"He wants to sell us to the Empire as slaves!" another boy said.

"Goddamn it...nothing pisses me off more than child slaves. Don't worry kids, we'll bring you to a safe place, for now you'll have to stay here for your own safety alright?" he asked, earning nods from them. He opened the cells up, letting them all out.

"Yo, that a wise idea, they could be lying." Silver said.

"They aren't...come on man, you're telling me a bunch of eight and nine year olds are lying? I mean look there, the oldest one here looks fourteen, and she's not even capable of fighting." he said, glancing at the redhead who was still inside the cell. Silver shook his head, grabbing the rifle from the fallen soldier.

"Okay, which of you is familiar with firearms?" he asked.

"Oh, my dad was a hunter, he taught me how to use a hunting rifle!" one little girl, about eleven years old said, stepping forward. She had long blue hair and torn clothing, her skin being dirty and wet from being in the brig. She was well developed for a little girl, most likely the reason why she was kidnapped in the first place.

"Okay then, an assault rifle has more recoil than a hunting rifle. Since you know how to use something like this, it will be up to you to protect your friends okay? Don't let me down." Silver said, ruffling her hair as he handed her the gun.

"I won't mister, we'll all stay here and wait until you tell us it's safe." she said firmly.

"Guys look alive, we've got movement up ahead, some of the crew members are coming back!" Mine shouted.

"Shit, just what we needed. Come on Silver, you stay here kids." Zack said, racing toward the stairs, swinging around them. He ran all the way to the top deck, glancing over the railing. He saw three crew members walking toward the ship, all of them looking drunk.

"We need to take them out, now." he said, loading his Phantom Blade with a new blade. Mine took aim at one of them, while Silver grabbed his Anti-material rifle, loading a round into the chamber.

"By you're call Mine." Zack said softly, keeping his aim one the guy farthest to the right.

"Now." she said, after a few seconds. At the same time, all three of them took their shot, killing the three men instantly. Zack let out a sigh, walking toward the helm of the ship.

"Alright, now the fun part, we need to get out of here. Silver, I need the sails at full canvas, Mine take care of the mooring lines, I'll do the rest." he said, grabbing one of the nearby ropes.

"Uh...which ones are the mooring lines?" Mine asked, earning a sigh from the boy.

"The ropes holding the ship to the port...we'll also need to weigh anchor so we can sail out of here." he said, earning nods from the others.

"Mister, is there anything we can do to help?" one of the girls asked, peeking from below decks.

"There are kids here?" Mine cried out.

"These Imperial bastards destroyed their village, and kidnapped them, most likely to sell them off as slaves. Actually, we could use help kids, all of you together should be able to pull the anchor up, so get to it." the silver haired man said, earning a nod from the little girl. She called out to the others, the sound of running filling the deck a second later.

Slowly but surely, the three teenagers were able to ready the ship, though it had taken them quite a long time for them to actually do it. Zack made his way back to the helm and turned the wheel to port. The wind caught the sails, making the ship slowly move forward.

"Hehe, suck on these you Imperial fucks!" he cried out, flipping off the house on the hill.

The sails fully opened up, and the ship started gaining speed, pulling them further away from the port. By now, someone had noticed what was going on and had alerted the Imperial Police. The sounds of bells could be heard, along with the loud pattering of hooves on the ground. Zack grit his teeth, spinning the wheel toward the starboard side.

"Mine, get up onto the mast and see if you can see Frolo! Silver, I need you to load one of those cannons and fire it at the port! Kids, if you can lift a cannon ball, then your help is very much appreciated!"

"Yes sir!" the kids cried, running toward the cannons on the boat deck. They pulled one back, grunting a bit while two others lifted up a cannon ball.

Meanwhile, Mine was using the ropes to climb up to the cross beam at the top of the mast. She pulled herself up with ease, taking a hold of the ropes behind her so she wouldn't fall. Once she had a good foothold, she rose her rifle up, using her scope to zoom into the mansion. She saw three figures standing on the balcony, pointing toward the ship in an exaggerated manner. One of them was dressed in black robes, and had long silver hair that reached to his shoulders. He had an angered look on his face. Mine let out a smirk, licking her lips.

"I'm not in a pinch, but I can still get the shot!" she said, pulling the trigger. A brilliant golden light shot out of the barrel, taking the form of a powerful beam of light. She watched on as the bullet passed right through Frolo's forehead, his body falling back. She wasted no time in killing the Captain and first mate of the Wicked Wench as well. Two cannons fired at the same time, destroying the storehouses near the port.

"Hehe! Gentlemen, remember this as the day that you almost caught Night Raid!" Zack said, saluting the soldiers at the port. Several archers had lined up, hoping to take out the thieves that had stolen the frigate, but were unable to even reach it. The kids started cheering loudly, shouting about how they were finally free.

"I cannot believe we just stole a fucking ship! We killed the targets too, this is gonna be so fucking awesome!" Silver cried happily, running up to the helm, earning a smile from Zack.

"Told you dude, now that we have the fastest ship in the Empire, we'll be able to defeat the Royal Navy with ease. I'm setting a course for the port of Versailles in the Principality of Veronica, it's two days from here so we should be able to get there with ease." he said.

"Heh, this is definitely getting us some points with the boss, striding into port on the fastest ship ever built. I'm so gonna rub this in Cornelia's face." Mine said, using one of the ropes to slide down onto the boat deck.

"Miss you were so awesome up there!"

"Yeah, thanks for getting rid of that awful captain, and that smelly senator!"

"You're awesome!"

Mine didn't know how to react, especially since so many kids were currently hugging her. She looked up at Zack, giving him an unreadable expression, he just gave her a grin. He could tell the kids really liked he, so he wasn't going to do anything to stop them from showing her affection. After all, Mine secretly liked spending time with kids, since she often played with the little girls at the slums whenever she and Leone went on missions. He of course briefly wondered if Cornelia was doing fine on her own mission. Still, he was definitely going to brag to her about this, the day Zack the Grim Reaper became Zack the Pirate.

"Yo ho, yo ho, the pirates life for me!" he cried, his shoulders shaking with mirth as he let out a loud laugh, causing Silver and Mine to groan in response.


	5. Kill the Authority

**A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the short hiatus. I ended up running out of cellular data so I couldn't post anything new for you guys, so once again sorry. But this has given me time to work on the story and read up on the manga. I have finally decided on the main pairing, but that will come later. I tried my best to follow the manga chapters, but the thing is some of the chapters are short while others are split in two..so I've decided to take the short chapters, when I arrive at them, and write two of them together. Like Kill the Authority, the chapter I'm posting now, I actually messed up and wrote this one out of order. This one actually comes after Zank is defeated, but I wrote it before, because my dumb ass forgot to check the order. Whatever the case, both events are covered in a single chapter, though the Zank stuff takes place next chapter. Just...well try to follow along if you can.**

 **I have also received my first negative comment on this story, which I honestly find amusing. Apparently my main character is over powered, which I don't see how, seeing as people in this series are way over powered. I mean come on, Esdeath can fucking freeze time, if that isn't over powered, then I don't know what is...but I don't really care...go ahead and leave me all the negative comments you want, I'll just ignore them, but get used to my quips and my replies, because I will counter attack...it is my nature after all.**

 **I do hope you look forward to this story, and the new plot elements I have added...there are some original missions to keep it interesting, and I do try to flesh out the characters more. The main pairing for this story won't take place until around chapter fifteen or so...points to whoever can guess it correctly. If you do I'll give you a shout out. I leave you all with a brand new chapter, I hope you like it!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 5

Kill the Authority

Two days had passed since most of Night Raid had left for their own missions. Tatsumi had spent both of those days training his sword skills with Akame. Of course he had been demoted to the cook along with Sayo, since both of them were quite skilled in the kitchen. Sayo herself had been training in the shooting range, increasing her abilities with her new compound bow, which had much more power than her previous wooden one. Najenda had also given her some better arrows, which would do the job way better than the ones she had currently. When she wasn't training her archery skills, she was lifting weights, making sure she didn't loose the strength in her arms, since she needed it to draw the string of her bow as quickly as possible.

While she was worried about her friends, she was more worried about the current standing of the Empire. News had spread about Night Raid's current targets, and the guards in the Capital had only increased, making it almost impossible to traverse the city without running into a guard. She didn't have to worry since her face wasn't on the posters, but it did make her nervous whenever she passed by a guard. Thankfully she and Leone only left once, for a reconnaissance mission in the slums.

She let out a sigh, tossing the potato skins into the trash. She sliced all of the potatoes into thin wedges, placing them on a plate near the stove, keen on frying them up.

"Akame, you try to reach that chicken and I'll stab you." Sayo said, causing her fellow ravenette to back away from the plate of already fried chicken. Sayo sighed, fixing her ponytail before she started frying up the potato wedges.

She had found over the last two days that Akame had a bottomless pit for a stomach. No matter how much she ate, she would continue eating. The only reason she was the cook for Night Raid was so she could sample the food as she made it. The previous day, she had taken Tatsumi out hunting for some rare tuna, and while she had brought in several of them, Tatsumi had only brought in two. She couldn't help but laugh, especially when Akame had told them all he had ripped his shirt off an everything.

"Sayo, are you still thinking about what happened to me yesterday?" the boy said. He was standing across from her, peeling an apple for a fruit salad he was putting together.

"A little bit...I just can't believe you ripped your shirt off...I would have loved to see that." she said, dropping the fries into the oil.

"I do agree, it was very entertaining to watch. His enthusiasm was well placed, I have no doubt he'll be able to hunt more tuna when the time comes." Akame said firmly, grabbing a glass of juice from the fridge.

"I just have to learn how to be stealthy...with you as my teacher, I'll learn super fast!" Tatsumi said, slicing the apple up.

"I would like to teach you a few things too Sayo. You are a hunter, so you're capable of masking your senses easily. But I want you to work mostly on your surroundings, as an assassin you'll need to pay close attention to everything around you." Akame said, earning a nod from the archer.

"I will, don't worry Akame. Alright, lunch is served...go call the boss and Leone will you?" she asked, turning off the stove. Akame dashed out of the room, most likely because she wanted to hurry up and eat.

The dining room table had quite the spread on it. Sayo and Tatsumi had decided to make a light lunch, consisting of potato salad, only with some boiled corn cobs, breaded friend chicken and potato wedges. Tatsumi had also made a fruit salad for dessert, knowing Leone and Najenda were fans of fruits. It wasn't long before their boss and Leone had made their way into the dining room, with Akame shooting to her seat.

"Jeez...go ahead Akame, no need to wait for me." Sayo said, earning a happy smile from the raven haired katana user. She piled her plate up with everything she could grab, giving a small thanks before digging in.

"Akame is just as hungry as ever...this all looks delicious, thanks you two."

"No problem boss...while it is annoying to have to cook so much, it does give me a sense of belonging. Ieyasu hated cooking, but he did smile when people ate his food. The chief of our village wanted him to become a chef." Tatsumi said.

"Really?" Leone asked curiously, earning a nod from Sayo.

"Oh yeah, he was better than me and Tatsumi combined. But he would always say cooking was a pain in the ass. He wanted freedom, and adventure, not twelve hours of being locked in a kitchen getting yelled at by some restaurant manager." Sayo replied, taking her seat next to Leone. Tatsumi sat beside Akame, watching as she continued eating, not at all contributing to the conversation.

" _Sheesh, it's scary how much she eats...but she's so lean and fit too. Must be all of the running she does as an assassin."_ he thought, taking a bite from his own food.

"Now that we're gathered, I would like to hear the report of the last recon mission." Najenda said firmly, putting out her cigarette.

"Well boss, the city is filled with Pigs, every plaza is being heavily guarded, mostly because of our previous hits. Killing six people in the same week is bound to raise suspicions." Leone said.

"She's right, a few people from the slums are growing concerned, especially with that serial killer going around. No one wants to come out at night. But there's another concern that's been brought to our attention." Sayo said firmly.

"That being?" Tatsumi asked curiously. Sayo took a deep breath, setting down her glass.

"The Imperial Guards are abusing their power. There are two targets that we need to take care of. The first is from the capitals garrison, Captain Ogre, the second is an oil vendor named Gamal. The woman who gave us our mission told us about them. Her husband was framed by them and executed." Sayo said glancing at the table.

"According to her, Ogre is taking very large bribes from Gamal, several people have fallen victim to this and silenced through execution, but this woman's fiancee overheard them speaking and told her the day before he was executed. This is the payment she gave us to handle the mission." Leone said, placing the large bag of golden coins on the table top.

"Whoa, that's a lot of money." Tatsumi said, surprised with the amount they had been given.

"I could smell a venereal disease on her. She most likely got this money by selling her body." the blonde said firmly, making the boy swallow hard. His face drained of color, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.

" _That poor woman...she must have suffered so much just to make this money. We can't let her down, those two bastards have to pay for this!"_ he thought firmly.

"Hmm...payment has already been accepted, so we'll have to accomplish it. However with half of our forces split into three towns, were currently under powered. It will be quite difficult to handle these two targets." Najenda said firmly.

"So what are you saying? That we aren't going to handle this mission? Come on, this woman has suffered enough! We have to do something about it!" Tatsumi cried.

"Face the facts Tatsumi...right now we don't have that many people here. I did my own research in town, Ogre is the captain of the guard, one of the strongest officers around. We would need someone like Bulat to handle him." Sayo said.

"Not to mention, getting close to Gamal will be difficult, seeing as he's always surrounded by guards. They would have to be killed at the same time, if either falls without the other, they will be on their guard, making it much harder to take them out later on." Leone said. Tatsumi bowed his head, looking at his plate. Akame set hers down, a frown on her face.

"It's alright Tatsumi...we will handle this mission, we just have to wait until the rest of the team comes back."

"I understand but...it would be better to take them out now. With the captain of the guard gone, we could walk a bit calmer through the town. The payment has been accepted, and I can't just sit by while these two fuckers continue to condemn people to death. If you won't do it, then I definitely will!" he said, jumping to his feet.

"Oh really? You do know the gravity of those words right? Now that you've said them, you can't take them back." Najenda said firmly.

"That's right...if you're so gung-ho on this, it'll be up to you to kill Ogre, alone." Leone added.

"Huh?" the boy said, his face turning white.

"I can't go, I can't fight Ogre since I'm no good with a sword, and I'm not nearly as fast enough as Leone or Akame, so going after Gamal is out of the question. Sorry Tatsumi, wish I could help, but I don't want to die right now." Sayo said, giving him a smile. The boy sat down, placing his face on the table. He didn't say a word for another hour.

 _ **xxx Location: Shamo Village xxx**_

Cornelia didn't like the heat, that much was obvious. She didn't mind if it was hot for a day or two, but being constantly hot was something that bothered her. She was at least happy she had brought her cloak along, though it didn't make things easier since her face was plastered all over the place. Shamo Village wasn't as big as Marina city, but it was a very important trading town, so a lot of people passed by on a daily basis. This carried rumors and rumors were turned into fact. As such, the wanted posters of the Night Raid members were currently at every street corner in the village.

She had done her best to remove the ones with her face on it, but she had seen some people pinning up new ones, so she had stopped after a day. She was currently hiding on a roof top, watching her target through some binoculars. It was sundown, so it was almost time for her and Lubbock to strike. The boy had been laying down beside her, reading a manga he had bought for himself in the town bookstore. It was one that dealt with knife fighters, one that he was tearing into voraciously.

"Look alive Lubbo, target at two o'clock." she said softly. He snapped his book closed, placing it inside his pocket. He reached for his telescope, peeking through it.

"Hmm...this is that Godfree fellow? He doesn't look like much." he said.

The man they were staring at was a man in his late twenties, with a mop of teal colored hair. He wasn't as built as some of the other guards, but he was well known around those parts as the top dog of the Imperial Police. He was wearing a polished set of armor, which gleamed in the setting sun. He wore a pair of black leather pants and matching silver greaves.

"Hey may not look like much, but he holds a very powerful Shingu. The Heavyset Armor of the Gods: Siegfried's Tunic. It's a shingu that not only increases his strength, speed and stamina, but also guards all of his vital areas. Should he activate it, we would have a hard time bringing him down." Cornelia replied, earning a sigh from the boy.

"You know, this whole Shingu versus Teigu thing is hard to understand at times. I get that they came after the Teigu, but do they all raise the users strength, speed and stamina?"

"Not all of them, it all depends on what danger beasts were used. Crushing King was made from a rare danger beast that increased its power when it was close to dying. It was enchanted so those abilities become passive. The more danger I face, the stronger I get. There's another one that was my favorite out of the bunch, the Water Dragon Sword. It could increase your strength, speed, stamina, power, basically it turned you into a beast." she said.

"Wow...I wouldn't mind using something like that!" Lubbock said, earning a giggle from the girl.

"But it comes with a price...three minutes is all you get. You'll get severely fatigued if you use it for longer than that. So yes, it's good for quick clean ups, but if you face to many enemies, then sayonara...you aren't coming back." she said. She folded her binoculars, placing them inside her cloak.

"He's on the move, we'll get him when he leaves that area." she said softly. Lubbock retracted his telescope and followed the blonde across the rooftops, heading toward the Imperial Captain.

Over the last two days, they had been gathering information from the townspeople about how the guards acted. Godfree had been appointed as the sheriff of Shamo after taking down a bandit ring, but he let the power get to his head. When the Emperor promoted him personally to Captain of the guard and gave him his own regimen of officers, he became a power hungry man. When he had found his Shingu, he had gotten worse.

The prison was filled with hundreds of innocents. Men torn from their families. Women charged with false prostitution claims and various tourists and people from the nearby nomadic tribes. No one was spared whenever they caught his eye. If they refused to heed his words, they were either killed on the spot or tossed in jail. Whatever the case, he needed to be taken down, as fast as possible.

The sun had fully set by the time they reached the area where Godfree was seen. They had reached the pleasure district of the village, which had been filled with various pubs, restaurants and even a few brothels. Godfree could be seen walking around, merrily chatting with two girls from his squad, a couple lieutenants of his which were also wanted for their crimes. The others had been sent to do rounds else where, which made it the perfect time to strike. Lubbock sent out some of his threads, wrapping them around the brunette's wrist, giving it a slight tug. She stopped, glancing toward the alleyway.

"Something wrong Yajima?" Godfree asked.

"I dunno...I felt something, like it was tugging me toward this alleyway...it's probably nothing." she said, about to resume her walk, when she felt the tug again.

"Sheesh, you've had too much to drink Yajima...just let it go already!" the blue haired woman cried.

"I'll just check out Lisa, I'll be right back." she said, moving toward the alleyway.

"Leave her, she'll catch up. Maybe you and I can catch up too, it's been awhile since I got a taste of your cookie." Godfree said, wrapping his arm around the blue haired woman, who giggled as she kissed his lips.

"Ew, gross." Cornelia muttered, keeping her eye on them. A soft yelp followed by a snap filled her ears. She glanced at Lubbock who had a frown on his face.

"This job seriously sucks sometimes." he said.

"Oh quiet you, these little sluts aren't the woman for you, especially when they're friends with fuck offs like him." Cornelia said, pointing to Godfree. They continued tailing the two, being careful not to be spotted. Deciding to walk down the street, they continued following close behind, until they passed and alleyway. Lubbock sent out a thread, wrapping it around the blue haired girl's wrist.

"What the hell? Something tugged me."

"Oh not you too Lisa, the booze finally getting too ya?" Godfree asked.

"No, something definitely did...maybe Yajima was right...let me check it out real quick." she said, walking toward the alley way. Godfree sighed, following toward the alleyway after the young woman.

"Hurry it up already Lisa, I wanna get really drunk tonight, since it's my day off tomorrow."

"Oh just wait you sissy, I'll be right...what the hell?" she suddenly said. Godfree heard a thud and a muffled scream, making him run into the alleyway. He saw Lisa standing in the middle of the alleyway, and swallowed hard.

"Lisa...are you alright? What did you see?" the man asked. The body suddenly moved, falling flat onto the ground. He let out a yelp of surprise when he saw a knife lodged in the blue haired woman's forehead. He reached for his sword, drawing it in a fluid motion.

"Show yourselves!" he cried. He heard someone drop behind him, causing him to turn around.

"Hey there buddy, I've heard some interesting things about you." Lubbock said, holding his arms outwards, his threads were gleaming in the moonlight, intimidating the man quite a bit.

"Did you do this? If so then you are under arrest! Stand down or I will use force!"

"I don't think so, if there's anyone using force here, it's me!"

Godfree glanced over his shoulder, seeing a cloaked figure drop down from the other side. They walked toward Lisa's body, pulling the knife from her forehead. She wiped the blood clean off her shirt, spinning the knife around the back of their hand.

"I know you...you're that traitor from the Empire...I get it, Night Raid was sent after me...that's funny. You think I've done something wrong?" he asked.

"Of course you have asshole...abusing your power, taking the law into your own hands, just because you are a Captain and a Sheriff? Please, people like you make me sick." Lubbock said firmly.

"Well, if I make you sick then it's my duty to put you out of your misery!" he cried, dashing at Lubbock, throwing a wide slash at him. He moved his hands to his side, catching his sword with ease. He tried to disarm the man, but his strength was against him. His threads snapped, causing him to jump back.

"Crushing Fist!" Cornelia shouted, aiming a punch at the man. He dodged to the side, taking a firm hold of her arm, throwing her into the wall behind him.

"Hehe, so you have a Shingu too...nice, looks like I'll have to go all out for the two of you! Activate! Siegfried!" he chanted. His armor started glowing faintly, becoming bulkier in size. His arms doubled in size, becoming twice as muscular as before. He let out a primal growl, hefting his sword to his shoulder.

"Shit, this is what I was afraid of." Cornelia muttered, looking unaffected by Godfree's throw.

"Ha ha ha, I will destroy you, Night Raid!" the man shouted, running at them, the tip of his sword sparking as it ran across the stone wall beside him. He threw a wide slash at Cornelia who blocked it with her gauntlet. She quickly drew her gun, shooting him three times in the face.

Godfree walked back, brushing the bullets off his skin, almost as if they had been flies that had landed on him. He let out another shout, holding his sword above his head, aiming the blow at Cornelia, who was pulled back by Lubbock. He caught her in his arms, setting her down beside him. Without saying a word, he weaved together several spears, throwing them at him.

"Just so you know, I have mastery over threads. I can make any weapon and use them as I please. My imagination is as endless as the books in my library!" he said.

"Puny runt, nothing hurts me in this state!" Godfree said, sounding almost like an ogre. He slashed the threads with ease, running at the two. Cornelia ran forward, throwing a punch to the center of the man's chest, throwing him back several feet.

"Aw, fuck!" she cried, grabbing her hand in pain. Her Shingu hadn't been damaged, but the shock from punching that hard armor went through her entire arm, her nerves were on fire as she dropped to her knees.

"Cross Tail: Enigmatic Aria!" Lubbock cried, forming a battle axe out of threads. He hefted it forward with all of his strength, slamming it right into Godfree. He let out a laugh, pulling the axe from his armor, tossing it aside.

"I'll teach you what it's like to mess with me!" he cried, running forward. Cornelia growled angrily, holding her arm in the air, her Shingu glowing brightly.

"Fist of Tebigong!" she chanted, slamming her gauntlet into the ground.

A violent earthquake shook the area, causing Godfree to loose his footing. Lubbock shot forward, swinging a sword made entirely of threads. He sliced his arm clean off his body, causing him to drop the sword. The man howled in pain, clutching his severed arm, while trying to avoid falling due to the tremor. Cornelia took her chance and grabbed the man by his remaining arm, slamming him into the nearby wall with all of her strength. She pulled her fist back, punching him in the face.

"Take this! Fist of the North Star: Shatter!" she cried. Godfree let out a scream of fear as the glowing gauntlet slammed into his face, his head exploding from the force. The blonde had punched him so hard that his body ended up flying straight through the building they were standing before. Though thankfully, it was completely empty.

"Damn, you aren't supposed to attract attention to ourselves dumb ass." Lubbock said, dashing into the store. He grabbed the Shingu from the now deceased man, watching as it turned into a thin afghan. He folded it up, grabbing a tote bag from the nearby rack.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled. Let's go Lubbo, before we get found out." the blonde said. Just as the Imperial Guard had come to see what was going on, the two assassins ran off, disappearing in the cover of night.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Capital xxx**_

Tatsumi sighed as he walked through the main street of the capital. He was wearing a white cloak, hiding his sword from view as he walked through the city, looking around for his target. He saw a great many deal of people, along with various guards who were stationed in between heavy streets. He sighed again, remembering his debriefing before being sent to the capital.

" _You see these two pictures? The one on the left is Ogre, captain of the guard...he's the meanest son of a bitch around." Leone said._

" _Wow, he looks tough...he's the captain of the guard for a reason." the boy muttered._

" _Mhmm...so go kill him." the blonde said.  
_

 _"Huh? Just like that? What about my training?" he cried, fear written on his face.  
_

 _"This is your training, go get him tiger." Akame said._

"I hate those two." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head free of thoughts. He reached another open plaza, seeing a large gathering of people. Just as he was about to walk away, he saw his target.

Ogre was a tall man, wearing a bright silver armor emblazoned with the crest of the capital. He had long black hair, tied up with white tube like hair ties that fell over his shoulders. He had a firm look on his face, and was missing right eye, most likely from a fight gone wrong. He had a steel sword at his hip, and was walking around with a firm look on his face, various soldiers following after him.

" _There he is...Captain Ogre...he's a lot more frightening in person."_ he thought to himself.

"Keep in line men, danger could strike at any moment!" he said firmly, earning nods from his officers. Tatsumi took a deep breath, biting his lip.

"Excuse me, mister Ogre sir, do you think we could speak about something?" he asked, causing the man to stop. He turned around, his only eye looking down at Tatsumi's shorter form.

"Eh? Something the matter lad?" he asked.

"I have a question for you, but I'm really embarrassed about asking in public, could we maybe talk in private?"

"Take five you guys, I'll go see what this one wants." the man said. His soldiers nodded and continued their walk. Tatsumi walked toward a nearby dark alleyway, walking far away from the main street. He sighed, closing his eyes.

" _Well, here goes."_

"So, what is it you wish to ask me? You aren't going to show me your dick are you?"

"What? No!" the boy cried.

"Sorry, lotta people have been doing that...more than zero, which is quite surprising. So go on, say what you wanna say." Ogre said, crossing his arms. Tatsumi suddenly dropped to his knees, lowering his face down.

"Mister Ogre, I've heard so much about you! I heard all of your exploits from the townspeople, I wanted to become just like you, but the recruitment office kicked me out! Is there a way you can squeeze me in? Please?!" he asked. Ogre sighed, turning way from him.

"I thought it would be something like this. Look kid, just fill out the paperwork like everyone else. If you make it past that stage, I'll consider taking you on as a private. I got a girl around your age that would do well in training you. For now just work hard alright?" he said, beginning to walk away.

"Please Mister Ogre...I just need a surefire way of getting in...I've already lost a close friend...I need to make money quickly...this is the only way." Tatsumi said, reaching for his sword. Ogre heard the sound of it being drawn, a smirk on his face.

"Well then, I'm sorry, but I've already told you what you need to do. Also, if you think you can fool me with that sword, then you've got to be..."

The man suddenly gasped as Tatsumi slashed him across the chest, his sword digging through his flesh, a spray of blood falling onto the ground. Tatsumi landed in a crouch, holding his sword tightly.

" _So fast...I didn't even have time to dodge it."_ he said, falling to the ground.

"Phew...I did it. Ha! Take that you dumb blonde! I totally was able to take him down. Well, I better head back and report what happened." Tatsumi said, not at all noticing the form of Ogre standing up behind him. He suddenly turned around, raising his sword in time to block the hit.

"You little shit! You think you could take on the captain of the guard and get away with it?" Ogre snapped angrily.

"Tch...I knew it was too soon, I need to work on that ego of mine." the boy said softly, raising his sword back up. Ogre looked him over, a smirk on his face.

"Oh I get it, you're from Night Raid, ain't ya boy? You were sent here to kill me...but the question is...who was it that put out the hit. I have a few ideas...could it be...ah yes, the fiancee of that loser I arrested?"

"I wasn't sent here by anyone. I came here of my own volition to take you down. You disgusting bastard, using your power to get what you want, taking bribes, arresting innocents! People like you need to die!" Tatsumi cried, running at him, throwing several slashes at him. Ogre blocked them all with ease, letting out a small laugh.

"So, she must have been desperate if she hired you...probably sold her body to a great many men to make that money. I'm gonna have a lot of fun with her, first I'll charge her parents with some crime, make her watch as they get arrested. I'll have my way with her little sister, then sentence them all to death, forcing her to watch. Once she's broken, I'll kill her off." the man said firmly.

"Grr...you fucker!" Tatsumi shouted, dashing forward as fast as he could. Ogre let out a smirk holding his sword outward to block the hit, only to notice his arms had been sliced right off.

"I hope you burn in hell!" the brown haired boy shouted, driving his sword right through Ogre's eye, killing the man instantly. His body dropped to the ground lifelessly, as the boy flung the blood onto the nearby wall. He sheathed his sword and walked off, disappearing into the night.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's base xxx**_

"And there you have it, I finished my mission with flying colors. You didn't have to worry about me at all Akame." Tatsumi said, a grin on his face.

"Hmm...well if you say he was taken care of, then I have nothing but praise for you Tatsumi. Akame and Leone took care of their target as well, thanks to you two, two less bastards are rotting away at this country. Congratulations on successfully handling your first mission." Najenda said, earning a smile from the boy.

"Thank you...see Akame, I knew I could do it."

The ravenette however said nothing, as she forcefully took off his clothing, tossing it aside. He let out a scream as she grabbed his belt, lowering his pants down.

"What the hell are you doing Akame?" Sayo screamed angrily. Leone and Najenda could only laugh at the boy's misfortune. Akame let out a sigh, giving the boy a heartwarming smile.

"I'm sorry...I was only checking you for injuries. A lot of my comrades have succumbed to injuries they didn't report. I'm just glad you weren't severely hurt." she said. He let out a sigh, holding back a blush.

"It's alright Akame...I'm not stupid as to not report an injury. I know this line of work is dangerous, so if I ever get hurt, I'll let you or the boss know...but you could have just asked me!" he cried, quickly pulling his pants up.

"The boy is well built! He'll be like Bulat sooner or later, he'll make a wonderful man." Leone said, earning a chuckle from Najenda. Sayo glared at the two older women, causing them to stop.

"Well, since you successfully passed Akame's challenges, I'll assign you to Mine next. The both of you will have to step up your game, she can be quite fierce when she wants to be." Najenda said, earning a nod from the two young assassins.

"Alright, we'll do our best!" the two cried cheerfully.

 _ **xxx Location: Versailles-Principality of Veronica xxx**_

Mine let out a sneeze, startling Zack a bit, who had his eyes on the incoming port. He blinked a few times, glancing down at the boat deck, seeing all of the children at the bow, pointing toward the incoming land. Silver was leaning against the wall beside the two Night Raid members, a hand on his sword, in case he needed it. The boy let out a yawn, stretching his arms a bit.

"This sea air is making me sick...and I barely get sick." Mine said, rubbing her nose with her sleeve.

"Or, someone is talking about you." the boy said cheekily, earning a glare from her. She shivered a bit, glancing at the sky.

"Maybe you're right." she said. She sighed, reaching up to her twin tails, pulling them from of their ties, letting the flowing sea of pink down for a bit.

"You look nice with your hair down, it suits you." Silver said.

"Thank you, but I don't like my hair getting dirty and mattered, it's the only reason I keep it up...I'm making an exception for now because I have a bit of a migraine." she said.

"Hey Mine, wanna take the helm? It's pretty easy, like driving a car." he said.

"What the hell is a car?" she asked curiously.

"Oh right, you haven't been to the Principality yet have you? Well, down here, there have carts that move under their own power, using a brand new fuel injection system and a crank to get the pistons moving. The people think it's a new revolution of vehicles, but for now, only the rich can own them, due to how expensive they are to make." he said.

"I learned to drive one while I was here last time. The Regional Team use them to transport things from Versailles to towns like Italica. The King of Veronica is a bit of a hardass, and you know he's inciting war between the Principality and the Empire, that's why cars haven't been approved to leave the country." Zack said.

"You Veronica folks have all the fun toys...fine, I suppose if you want someone like me to drive the big boat, it's fine." she said, taking a hold of the large wheel in front of her.

"It's actually sail, you don't drive a boat." Zack said, earning a glare from her.

A loud caw filled their ears, and they looked up, seeing a beautiful bald eagle flying toward them. It had a rather long wingspan, the brown plumage making it stand out in the blue skies. Silver held his arm out, allowing the majestic bird to land on his brace. He pulled the rolled up paper from its talon, handing it to Zack.

"Hmm...it seems Captain Woodrow received our message. He sent two members of the Regional Team to meet us when we make port." Zack said. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of smoked meat from within, giving it to the eagle, who graciously took it.

"I can't wait to see the look on their faces when we come into port with this bad boy in tow. Oh, can I christen her with a new name?" Mine asked, earning a shrug from the boy.

"That depends on the captain. What name did you have in mind?" Silver asked, earning a grin form the girl.

"I was thinking of calling her, the Black Pearl...but we need to chance the sails for black ones, along with all of the ropes...maybe paint it black too." she said.

"Honestly, I was thinking you would call it Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows...or some shitty girl thing like that." the black haired boy said, earning a growl from the pinkette.

"Mister Zack, Mister Zack! We're approaching the port!" the rifle carrying girl, Anna Maria cried, running up the stairs.

"Thanks for letting us know sweetheart! Alright then, Half canvas, we're gonna approach the port nice and easy! Get those mooring lines ready to dock, and weigh anchor as soon as we come to a stop! We're gonna have a nice transition into port ladies and gentlemen, hahaha!" Zack said, laughing like a mad man.

The children started climbing up toward the mast, pulling the sail up to half canvas. Even though there were around twenty of them, all of them had learned how to work on a ship quite easily from watching the previous crew. Zack had wanted to spare them the sight of the dead bodies, but they didn't even bat an eye, especially when he and Silver had started dumping bodies into the ocean and cleaning up all of the blood from inside. He took the helm from Mine, turning the ship Starboard to ease into the port.

"No Canvas! We gotta ease it in!" he cried out.

"Aye sir!" the children cried back, rolling up all of the sails.

The ship slowed down significantly, enough for them to get into the port without much issue. The anchor was set down, and the ropes were tossed off the ship, being snagged by the waiting men, who tied them onto the large iron posts, successfully mooring the ship to the port. Silver grabbed the gangplank, lowering it down onto the dock. The eagle on his shoulder flew off, heading back to where it had been sent from.

"So, this is Versailles Port? It's pretty big, looks almost like Marina." Mine said, earning a nod from Zack.

"Yes, just like Marina, Versailles is a fishing town, and the biggest port in Veronica, responsible for bringing in cargo from other countries, along with the Empire. The Versailles river cuts into another major waterway that cuts right through the Imperial city, so small cargo ships make there way there daily, which is why this port is only filled with larger frigates." he said, leading his makeshift crew off the boat.

"Sir, who among you is captain?" a man dressed like a navy officer asked, holding a clipboard.

"Uh...me I suppose...are you a friendly?" Zack asked, a hand on his teigu.

"Cool it Zack, he's with us." a familiar voice called out.

He glanced up, seeing a familiar face among the crowd of fishermen. He had raven black hair, which faded a bit into silver, and was rather unruly, more than Zack's even. He was wearing an assassins robe, which was black in color, with bright green around the sides, and the inside of the hood. The front part of the brace was a dark brown in color. He was wearing leather braces and matching leather boots. He was wearing a half cloak, wrapped around his neck, which hid his gorget, and was secured with a spaulder. He had a brown colored jerkin and a crimson colored sash. His pants were black, stuffed into his boots.

He had bright emerald green eyes, had lightly tanned skin, due to being out in the sun, and wore a necklace around his neck with a sideways cross. He had a katana sheathed behind his back, tied to the belt on his waist. He gave the boy a grin, patting his shoulder.

"Heya Zacky, long time no see!" he said.

"Nice to see you too Takeo...you were on a mission last time I was around, so I couldn't say hey...glad to see you're still kicking!" he said, shaking his hand.

"Mind introducing us?" Mine asked rudely, earning a chuckle from the man.

"This the girl you told me so much about? She's a dish...a real nice looking dame." the man said.

"Ease up a bit Takeo, she's way younger than you. Mine, Silver this is Takeo, he's part of the Revolutionary Army's regional team. They're base is here in Versailles city, the city closest to the border. They're a team of ten who handle missions around this area, and deliver information to the other bases in the Empire. Takeo, this is Mine, a friend of mine from Night Raid, and Silver, our contact in the Empire."

"Good to meet you man, I heard quite a lot about you from upper management. Is it true that you're teigu allows you to control the wind currents?" he asked, earning a nod from the man.

"Sure does kiddo. The sword of Summer Wings: Kusanagai. It was made from a Super Class Danger Beast, capable of controlling wind currents. It's capable of manipulating the air in any way I want, and I'm able to cut things with blades of air. In fact, the sword itself is actually dull." he said.

"Huh...I didn't know that." Zack said.

"It makes sense, if it controls air currents then the sword must be pretty weak, but with the abilities, you could make it as sharp as you need too. You can also use it to cut something apart without making noise...not bad, not bad at all." Mine said, nodding in approval.

"Actually, I've read about Kusanagai before, apparently the blade was forged from a thin coating of orichilcum and iron ore and contains a wind current inside it. With training, you could make the blade turn into air and phase it through objects, like swords and shields, ignoring a persons attempts at defense." Silver said.

"That is true...but I haven't figured out how to do that yet...I'm still learning after all, it hasn't been that long since I've had the sword." Takeo said firmly.

"Huh? But you've had that sword for five years, what are you even talking about?" Zack asked.

"Uh...well...you know, I just babbled on, nothing to worry about. So how about we check on that cargo eh?"

"Chelsea, how many times have I told you not to impersonate me?" a gruff voice said. Takeo stiffened a bit and turned around, staring at a mirror image of himself, who looked quite pissed.

"What? There's two of them?" Mine cried out.

"Twins...I've never seen twins before."

"Actually, it isn't twins...I think I just realized what's going on here." Zack said, walking up to who he thought was Takeo. He flicked him in the nose, a puff of smoke bursting from him a second later. Takeo had in fact been replaced by a girl, causing Mine and Silver more confusion than before.

The girl was the same age as Zack, and had long orange pink hair. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt, with black cuffs. The bodice was black in color with bright pinkish orange buckles. She wore a ribbon tie around her neck, her collar folded over it. She wore a plaid skirt with a white frilled hem, and a pair of black and pink boots. She was wearing a pair of headphones on her head, black in color with an orange butterfly print on them, she had a butterfly pin attached to the left side of it.

The young woman gave the boy a grin, pulling a lollipop from her pocket, tossing the wrapper aside. The real Takeo shook his head and stood beside the young woman, looking at the three teenagers who were still looking at him confused...or rather Mine and Silver were.

"I apologize for her. She likes fooling people with her teigu, I'm the real Takeo...this is my partner Chelsea, both of us are from the Regional Team."

"Nice to meet you formally, the looks on your faces was to die for...especially yours Zacky."

"I should have known it was you, there's only one person who calls me Zacky aside from Nelly, I guess it's good to see you two Chelsea. But for your attempts at fooling me, you owe me a lolli, so fork it over." he said.

"Aw, but I only have one left." She said. He took a hold of the box in her hand, flicking it open with ease.

"Too bad, should have thought of that before trying to trick me." he said, pulling the last lollipop from inside, much to her annoyance. She gave the one in her mouth a lick before pulling it out with a slight pop.

"So, you three were the ones who had the balls to attack the Empire where it hurts. Damn, I had seen the Wench from afar, but seeing it up close is even better." she said, walking up the gangplank.

"Uh...you have a lot of explaining to do Zack, because I honestly lost the thread of this story." Mine said.

"I lost it awhile ago." Silver said, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Chelsea is just like us, an assassin employed by the revolutionaries. This is her Teigu, Gaea Foundation. With it she can impersonate anyone, living or dead, animal or human, animate or inanimate. She's the youngest assassin, aside from Cornelia, who has successfully killed 1,300 people, due to her covert operations. She's your go to gal for reconnaissance." he said.

"Not to mention annoying, needy, bratty, clingy, hungry, did I mention annoying? Because she's definitely fucking annoying."

"Oh shush Takeo, you love me and you know it. Anyway, check on the cargo and take note of everything that lies within, we need to move these supplies to the eastern frontier stat. They just sent a regimen of soldiers to the boarder to fight some of our boys, so these weapons would do them good." Chelsea said, earning a nod from Zack.

"Well, our mission is a complete success. We got Frolo, the Captain of the Wench, his first mate and we stole the boat. Najenda is gonna be so proud of us." he said, earning a nod from Mine.

"And I can finally rub it into Cornelia's face. No one will beat Mine, the first member of Night Raid to become a pirate! Hehaha!"

"I think she's lost it." Silver said, whispering into Zack's ear, earning a chuckle from him.

"We have to report our success to the Captain, after that we can grab our reward and get back home. Maybe we can borrow the Air Manta so we don't waste time." Zack said.

"Aw, leaving so soon? That's not fair, we have a big mission coming up, and I might not see you again for awhile. Come on, hang out with us at least for a little while." Chelsea said.

"No Chelsea, you know the job comes before the fun. If we have time after we check in and get everything settled, I may spare some time...an hour at most." he said.

"Typical, you can't even spare your best friend the time of day...fine, an hour is better than nothing." she said, snagging her teigu away from him.

"Whoa, since when did you take the best friend role? You know that one belongs to Cornelia! She's been with me the longest!" he said.

"Ahem, I was the one who grew up with you? Come on, you me and Hilda used to play together all the time! We had a tree house and everything...or well we did until the Incarceration Squad torched our town." she said sadly.

"Wait, you're both from the same village?" Mine asked curiously. Zack brushed past her, a frown on his face.

"I don't want to talk about it. Okay Chelsea, take us to Woodrow, it was nice seeing you Takeo, have fun with those new toys we brought you!" he said cheerfully.

"Sure thing! I'll have lots of fun, try not to piss them off, kay Chel?"

"No promises!" the lollipop loving girl said, leading them away from the port.

 _ **xxx Location: The Empire-Capital City xxx**_

"So...Night Raid has become more active over the last few weeks...that's good. It makes this a lot more fun...not a lot of people like to come out anymore!" a man said, standing in the middle of an alleyway, two deceased guards were laying before him, their heads laying beside the body. He had a grin on his face.

"Hey, you there! Show yourself!"

"Why certainly, I haven't done anything wrong officers...but you two clearly have!" the man said, walking past them. The two men turned around to face him, only for feel a slight pain in their neck, blood gushing out in torrents. The bodies fell to the ground, heads rolling clean of.

"No one is going to stop me, the night is my territory and my blades yearn for the soft flesh people's necks! I will destroy Night Raid, or my name isn't Zank the Beheader! AHAHAHA!"


	6. Kill the Slasher

**A/N:**

 **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of Akame Ga Kill- Blood Rain. This chapter will continue our lovely tale of carnage and bloodshed and rebelling against the Empire. I made a mistake yesterday, in what I said. The mission where Iokal is taken out happens before the Zank stuff, but in my story I actually messed up and put the Zank stuff first...I guess it gives the story a bit of character, since I'm not exactly following the story word for word, but I am giving it my own touch. Even if people think my oc is op...hehe. That shit still makes me kek.**

 **In this chapter, we get to see a bit of Zack doing Zack things, we also get a bit more information on the Crimson Thorn: Crescent Rose. Otherwise known as Zack's Teigu and not a rip off of Ruby's scythe...hehe. I would also like to give thanks to RevansSories for submitting Takeo into the story, as well as creating his unique teigu Kusuganai. He isn't gonna make another appearance for awhile, since he is part of the Regional Team, but he will return soon enough. I have also given names to the other two assassin squads in the Empire. The Regional Team, which handles the Eastern Frontier is known as The Brotherhood of Assassins. Yeah, real original with that one. The Team that handles the Southern Frontier is known as The Order of Assassins. Night Raid handles the capital and the surrounding areas, and The Northern Frontier was handled by Nama who was of course slain by Esdeath. So yeah, thems the breaks...**

 **I do hope you enjoy this chapter, feel free to let me know if you like it or not...it is following the chapter of the same name. Like I said before, I will take two chapters and put them together if it's handling the same mission. Like the Zank one was actually two chapters but I cover all of it in one, because it is much easier on my end. Hope you all like it!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 6

Kill the Slasher

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

Zack had a bright grin on his face as he and Mine finally reached Night Raid's base. It had taken them a bit longer to get back home since they had to file a report with headquarters, but they had been approved to borrow the Air Manta. They had gotten back at around breakfast time, and were quite tired from the mission. As it turned out, Sheele, Bulat, Lubbock and Cornelia had also arrived, though they had done it the night previous. As per his request, HQ hadn't let Najenda know the success of the mission, because he wanted to give the report to her personally.

He heard Mine yawn beside him, stretching her arms. He could tell she was really tired. Flying on a danger beast wasn't exactly the best way to catch up on sleep. He had been fine without it, but she had stayed up quite late the night before, and was looking forward to nothing but taking a long nap. He took a hold of Pumpkin's case, taking it out of her hands. She was about to say something to him, but was honestly too tired to say anything. Instead she gave him a quiet thanks, as they continued walking toward the base.

"Won't be long now, you'll be able to take your nap soon enough." he said.

"I know, I can't wait to give our report, I'm gonna rub it in Cornelia's face! That's enough for me to get energized!" she said, feeling a bit more awake. The boy let out a laugh, grabbing a hold of the door.

"Well, you'll get you're chance soon enough." he said, allowing her to enter the base first.

The cool rush of air made the two teenagers sigh contently, after walking through the mid morning heat. They kept walking through the foyer, heading toward the main room where the other members of Night Raid were already waiting for them. Najenda was puffing on her cigarette, reading one of the reports from the others when she looked up, a smile on her face.

"Well look at you two. Tired?" she asked.

"You've got no idea." Zack said, a small frown on his face.

"Well, you shouldn't have taken an extra day...all of us finished our missions within the three day window we were given, but you guys pulled over time." Cornelia said, a smug look on her face.

"Actually, we took care of our mission on the first night. The only reason we took three days was because Captain Woodrow wanted to see us personally." Mine said, earning widened eyes from everyone but Sayo and Tatsumi.

"The hell did the captain want with you? That mean's you guys went to the Principality right?" Lubbock asked, earning nods from the two. Zack flicked open Pumpkin's case, pulling out the file that contained the report from their mission. He handed it to Najenda, a smile on his face.

"Read it out loud for everyone boss, this is going to be eye opening for all of you." he said.

"Eye opening? Pfft...all you had to do was kill a senator. Me and Lubbo got rid of all three targets and recovered the Shingu he was using." Cornelia said, a proud look on her face.

"Sheele and I were able to handle our target splendidly. Shin Village will be able to prosper without that egotistic noble pulling their strings." Bulat said.

"Are...are you two shitting me right now?" Najenda said, her cigarette falling out of her mouth, eye widened in shock. Zack and Mine bumped fists, wide smirks on their faces.

"Well don't keep us waiting boss...what did they do?" Leone asked.

"Agent Wayne and Agent Kyle have been promoted from assassins to master assassin due to their merits in their mission in Marina. Not only did they kill their target, Senator Frolo, but they also killed Captain Howard and his first mate Edward John Smith." She said.

"Howard and Smith? Wait...aren't they part of the Wicked Wench's crew?" Bulat asked curiously.

"The fastest ship in the Imperial Navy? That Wicked Wench?" Leone asked curiously.

"That's the one. People who have engaged in piracy on the high seas have faced fire from her long nines on more than one occasion. No one at sea is safe when the Wicked Wench is on the prowl. She's taken down more of our ships than we can count." Akame added, a firm look on her face.

"Sounds like this ship is the real deal. I wouldn't want to mess with their crew." Sayo added.

"Tell me you idiots didn't do anything crazy?" Cornelia said.

"Oh I dunno...is stealing the fastest ship in the Navy crazy? I don't think so, right Mine?" Zack asked.

"No...that's pretty average considering all of the stuff we do on a daily basis." she replied.

"Steal...they stole the ship?" Sheele asked, jaw dropping from the shock of the statement.

"Najenda please tell me it isn't true...tell me these two didn't really steal that ship!" Lubbock said.

"They did. It says here that Mine and Zack, along with their contact Agent Silver were able to sneak aboard the Wicked Wench and take out the crew that had been left behind. Not only were the able to seize the ship, but they set free to twenty four captive children, which were on their way to a slave camp in the northern territory. The Wicked Wench was hijacked with it's full cargo, and was renamed by Mine. It's now known as the Black Pearl, flagship of the Revolutionary Army's Naval Unit." Najenda said, closing the file a second later.

"And now that the report has been delivered, I'm gonna take a long nap. You better not piss me off." Mine muttered, heading toward her bedroom.

"I'm gonna do the same, see you all later." Zack said, following after the pink haired girl.

"Master Assassins...who also happen to be pirates...great, they totally showed us up." Lubbock said, earning a growl from Cornelia.

"This must have been her plan all along...that's it. Alright then Mine, two can play at that game." she said, heading out of the briefing room, most likely to train.

"This isn't going to end well...the last time those two started showing each other up, it almost cost us the mission." Leone said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I have a lot more reading to do...I'm glad you all returned to base safe and sound. You can all take a few days before the next mission alright? You deserve the break." Najenda said, earning nods from the assassins.

"Alright, time to get back to training. If you don't train daily, then you'll be putting yourself in a compromising position! Come on Tatsumi, I'll give you some pointers on using that sword of yours."

"Okay big bro, I could always use the training."

"Me too, I've gotten better with my bow but I need to learn how to use a sword as well." Sayo said.

"I can train you if you'd like...but I'll be coming at you as if it were a real fight, so you better be ready." Akame said, in her usual monotone. Sayo shivered slightly, but gave her fellow ravenette a nod.

Stepping out into the training yard, Sayo could see Bulat standing next to Tatsumi, who was raising a sword above his head, working on keeping it raised as long as he could. Bulat was giving him encouraging words, even though the boy was visibly straining. The black haired girl smiled a bit, remembering all of the times Ieyasu did the same for him back at the village.

" _Come on Tatsumi! You've got this!"_

" _Easy for you to say Ieyasu! You're father is the blacksmith, and he's a professional with a sword. You have it easy, but I clearly don't!"_ a younger Tatsumi cried. She smiled a bit, looking toward the other side of the training yard, seeing Akame looking through some wooden swords.

"Do you have a preference? I trained to use a katana so I apologize if my skills don't suit you." she said.

"No no, that's fine. I suppose I wouldn't mind using a katana myself, they are pretty light swords, with my arm strength I could make use of one." Sayo said. Akame nodded, pulling out one of the katana shaped wooden swords, which had a few knicks and dings on it. Sayo grabbed it from her hand, pausing only to take her jacket off, placing it on the railing behind her.

"We'll be working on stance first, so just do what I do."

"You got it teach!" Sayo said happily, giving her friend a wink.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

Zack hadn't felt that well rested in quite awhile. Sometimes the life of an assassin was a trying one, but it had been the life he had chosen for the best of the Empire. He would stop at nothing until everyone was able to live a life free of strain. He had decided to follow Mine and Tatsumi into the city, since she had been tasked with taking care of the boy, while Sayo was spending time with Bulat, who was training her with different kinds of swords. She had easily picked up the stances Akame had taught her, so she would spend a little more time refining them before being given a piece of steel to swing around.

"Hey Zack, I've got a question...how the hell is shopping a form of training?" Tatsumi asked, carrying several boxes in his hands, while Mine was looking at a dress in a nearby store.

"It's not, she's just spending the money we made from that fucking mission man...but as long as she's happy, I don't really mind." the boy said, crossing his arms, a look of annoyance.

"Easy for you to say! You aren't carrying this shit!" he cried, earning a chuckle from Zack.

"Sorry bud, you're the one shadowing her, not the other way around. Hey, I've already talked it over with the boss and I've got you right after Sheele, so I'll show you some cool stuff. Sit tight man, she usually ends her trip after going to the jewelry store." he said, earning a nod from the boy. He did feel bad, so he took a few bags from his hands.

While Mine wasn't looking, Zack reached into Crescent Rose's holster and pulled out a folded article of clothing, secretly placing it inside one of the bags. He smiled a bit, remembering the smile on his fellow assassin's face when she had seen it on display. It had been a little difficult to get, especially when she and Silver were next to him, but he had managed to get it without them knowing.

"Hey Zack, Sayo told me some interesting things about your teigu, I've got a few more questions...Akame said all teigu have Trump cards...what's yours?" he asked.

"My trump card? Hmm...well that's easy, it's something I call Bloodlust." he said.

"Blood...lust?" Tatsumi asked. Mine's ear perked up, and she turned around to face the boy.

"Talking about trump cards eh? I've only seen his once, and let me tell you, it was scary...it's something you really don't want to see, unless you're ready to see the skies rain blood." she said ominously, causing the boy to shudder.

"Don't listen to her, it isn't that scary...well it will be if you're on the receiving end. My weapon works a bit like Mine's Pumpkin, when she's in a pinch, she gets stronger. For me, I have t be in a pinch to use my trump card. I have to either shoot myself or cut myself with Crescent Rose, all of the blood that it spilled gets transferred to me, and I go into a state of insatiable rage. I won't stop until everything around me is dead." he said.

"You're right, it would suck to be on the receiving end of that."

"Yeah, last time I used it, I ended up slaying an entire regimen of Imperial Soldiers, but in my defense, they had killed one of our friends. A really sweet girl named Delilah...she had only been with us for a month and died in the line of duty." he said, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that...this job, it's very stressful from time to time isn't it?" he asked.

"I'm tired, how about we take a bit of a break?" Mine suddenly said, pointing to a nearby restaurant. The two boys nodded, following her toward it. They walked up the side stairwell to the second floor balcony, taking the table next to the railing as their own.

"Finally, hey Mine...how the hell is shopping a form of training?" Tatsumi cried, setting her bags down on the table.

"Shut up! You aren't allowed to ask questions dog!" she snapped, earning a chuckle from Zack. He came back from the shop, handing the two a cup filled with soda.

"No need to bite his head off Mine. He's just wondering how this is training, technically it is. It teaches you how to deal with women, seeing as most of our friends are of the female sex, we need to get ready to play to their whims." he said, leaning back in his chair, his arm resting on the railing.

"Play to their whims? That's why Cornelia has you whipped right?" Mine asked, a sneer on her face.

"Whipped? You are totally mistaken my dear, she is not whipping me. She may be a hard ass, but I don't let her control me. She's my invaluable partner, but I'll put her in her place if I need to." he said, biting on his straw.

"How long have you two been partners?" Tatsumi asked curiously, earning a hum from the black haired boy.

"Well, our group has been around for three years, but I didn't join until I got approved by General Estrada...I'd say three years. We were handling small assassinations then, which is why we were promoted into Night Raid in the first place." he said.

"Shush! Don't say it that loud, there are some imperial officers around." Mine said, glancing down below, seeing a gathering of officers and civilians.

"That's weird...what's going on that's got all of these people worked up?" Tatsumi asked. Zack sighed, grabbing the bags from the table.

"This is something I didn't want to show you, but I think you'll need to know...it'll serve to show you a new perspective." he said, walking down the stairs. The three assassins walked through the crowd, heading toward the front of the gathering until they arrived at the square.

Tatsumi let out an audible gasp when he saw the large crosses that had been placed in the square. Four people had been crucified in the square, all of them beat to hell. One young woman was crying in pain, begging for it all to stop, blood dripping from her now severed arm. One man was shouting in another language, most likely begging for his life. The two others had already passed on from this world. Zack frowned, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"What...what is this?"

"A public execution. This is pretty commonplace here, it's basically showing the citizens of the Empire that this is the fate that awaits them if they following in our footsteps. Anyone found traitor to the crown, is publicly crucified." Mine said firmly.

"This is sick." the boy said, quickly turning around. Zack followed after him, eyes widening a bit when he caught sight of a new wanted poster. He walked over to it, ripping it off the wall, placing it in his pocket. He took down the Night Raid ones as well, disappearing into the crowd before anyone could see him.

It was late afternoon when the three arrived back at the base. Zack had been concerned about what he had seen, so he had told his friends it was time to start heading back. Mine didn't really mind, seeing as she wanted to try out the clothes she had gotten, ranting on about how Pink was the best spring color. She had been doing a decent job of driving Tatsumi insane, though he didn't exactly show it. The twitching of his eye was enough to tell him otherwise. Najenda had seen his concerned look and had called for a meeting, which he was grateful for. The last thing he needed was gathering everyone up on his own.

"Something has you worried doesn't it Zack? Well share it with us, if you're worried then it must be good." she said, puffing at her cigarette. He reached into his cloak, pulling out the folded poster he had grabbed from the square.

"This is what has me concerned. Zank is back in the capital, and he's been killing people again." he said.

"Great, Zank the beheader. The last time he was around, thirty two civilians ended up getting killed. We almost had him but he somehow gave us the slip, he must have become aware of our increased activity in the city." Bulat said, a frown on his face.

"Big bro, who's Zank the beheader? I've never heard of him." Tatsumi asked, earning a nod from Sayo.

"Me either, I saw his picture around town but I didn't give it much thought. I was trying to get rid of all of the Night Raid ones that I saw, to give us all a bit of peace." she said.

"That's much appreciated Sayo...I'll explain, Zank was once the executioner at the Empire's largest prison. Thanks to Honest, there were quite a lot of people who were sent to the gallows. He killed so many people, that he became good at it. Eventually, he was driven insane and stole the Warden's Teigu, leaving without a trace." Najenda said firmly.

"He's a dangerous deranged crack head freak, who loves decapitating people. Rumors say he uses drugs to take off the edge, but that usually just makes him more dangerous. He's killed several guards in the last two days, civilian casualties have risen as well." Leone said firmly.

"We have to do something about this then! This guy his killing people for fun, come on, tell me we're going after him!" Tatsumi said, glancing around the room.

"I appreciate you're enthusiasm Tatsumi, but Zank is on another level. We can't risk going out there ill prepared to face him in battle. There's another thing that's worrisome." Lubbock said.

"That's right...it's the gilded rule of Teigu users. Two people who face each other in battle with a teigu, are destined to have a great duel, where only one person will survive. All of us use Teigus, so we can't risk getting killed, not when the army needs us." Zack said firmly.

"Wasn't it you who said he needed to be taken care of? Why the hell even bring it up if you aren't going after him?" Sayo snapped, earning a glare from the boy.

"Listen here kid, this is the real world. All of us are needed in this organization, so we cannot take risks, especially against other Teigu users. To go up against someone like Zank would mean possibly risking your life, are you prepared to die in the line of duty? If you are, then go ahead, go after him, but if you aren't, then shut your mouth."

"Nelly! Don't yell at her, she's right. We can't take this lying down, but we can't risk ourselves either. We need to make a plan of attack first." Zack said, glaring at his partner, who only looked away from him.

"Fine! I'll do just what Nelly said, I'll go after Zank on my own, and I'll kill him!" Tatsumi said firmly.

"Aw jeez...there he goes again, putting his foot in his mouth." Leone said, wrapping his arm around Tatsumi's shoulders, pushing his face into her breasts.

"I like his spunk, but he raises a good point. Zank is in town right now, so we need to get him while the iron is hot. He already knows that we know he's here, so there's no hiding from him. What we have to do is attack him when his guard is down." Najenda said.

"Yeah, but that means we'll need to make him come out. He usually comes out in the dead of night, when people are already indoors, that makes it rather challenging. He could pop up anywhere. We'll need to stick to back streets and open plazas, away from the Garrison and Police stations around the capital." Zack said.

"Looks like we'll be splitting up again...okay then, Night Raid is on the job, gear up and head out, as soon as you're ready!"

"Right away boss!" they all called out, breaking away to their own devices.

 _ **xxx Imperial City: Unnamed Plaza xxx**_

Zack and Sayo were making their way through the empty city. It was already two in the morning, and only a few brave souls were wondering around. The Red Light District was the most active area, so they had decided to stick around it, two plazas away where it was quieter. He had decided to leave his shotgun back at the base, choosing to carry his new Silverballer instead. And Sayo were making their way across the plaza, glancing around the area. It was one of the bigger ones, so big that it had a playground and several lush trees.

The moon was shining brightly, bathing the plaza in a beautiful white glow. Sayo was enjoying the night time breeze, though her grip on her compound bow was tighter than she wanted it to be. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, with a black leather vest over it. She wore a matching black skirt, long white socks and her leather boots. Slung across her waist was a brown leather quiver, filled to the brim with steel arrows.

She let out a shaky breath, which caused the boy to stop. He noticed the look of worry on her face. He walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look into his eyes.

"I'm scared Zack...this is my first mission. I know Tatsumi has already been on one and came back but...I'm worried I'll get hurt or worse." she said.

"That's good...being scared is normal...it makes you realize that there are things out there that we fear loosing. I was just like you once...scared to pull the trigger, scared to swing my scythe. But I realized that I had a lot more to lose than my life." he said.

"What's that?" she asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"My friends...if I were to die...my friends would mourn me...they would get sloppy, make mistakes and possibly end up dying themselves...or they could use it as a way to get stronger, to over come the adversity that I wasn't able to defeat. But that won't happen if I get stronger." replied.

"That's true...Ieyasu ended up dying a victim of this country...I already vowed never to let that happen...so I'll try my best not to die too. In case I do, burn my diary." she said, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Fine, but I'll read it first." he said, earning a punch to the arm from the ravenette.

"If you do, I'll haunt your ass for the rest of your life." she said firmly.

They decided to cut through a side street, heading down toward another empty plaza. Thankfully, since they weren't on any wanted posters, they could afford to relax a bit. He felt bad for Tatsumi though, who ended up getting stuck with Akame as his partner. It was the same for Mine who was put together with Cornelia. Apparently, Najenda said it was a team building exercise that needed to happen between them.

"It's been a long night, and we still haven't found the bastard. How exactly do you think he comes out?" Sayo asked, leaning against the brick wall beside him.

"Hell if I know. He's a serial killer, so something has to make him tick...all I know is that he used to be the executioner and went insane from hearing the voices of the people he killed. I guess he goes after people that are vulnerable." he said with a shrug.

"That would make a lot of sense actually." she said, reaching into her pocket for a power bar. She handed him one, and as he was about to tear into it, he felt a rather strong urge.

"Hey, I'm gonna find a place to take a whazz. Stay close." he said, walking around the corner of the building.

"Take a whazz?" the girl said quietly. She shrugged, choosing to stay out on the street, where a few people were walking around. She saw an Imperial Soldier, and reached into her pocket for her watch, pretending to check the time instead of standing around.

Zack let out a sigh as he relieved himself. Thinking back on it, perhaps it would have been a good idea to go before he left on the mission. It had been a rush call so he felt the need to get to the capital as fast as possible. He was glad that it wasn't that long of a walk between the capital and their base. He quickly finished what he was doing and rebuttoned his fly, wiping his hands on his pant legs.

"It feels so good to unload yourself." he muttered, glancing at the clear midnight blue sky. He saw something out of the corner of his eye, and slightly glanced to his right, eyes widening in shock.

Standing in the middle of the alleyway stood a beautiful young woman, with long waist length brown hair, pulled up into a high ponytail with a black ribbon. Two long strands framed her lightly tanned face, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling in the night. She was wearing a white sleeveless dress, with a flowing skirt that fell to her knees, a black ribbon sash was tied around her waist. She was wearing a beautiful ruby ring on her left ring finger, which sparkled brightly in the light of the moon.

" _This can't be...no! She isn't real!"_ he shouted in his mind.

"Of course I'm real! I'm really you're little sister...come with me big brother...I know you want to." the girl said, holding her hand out to him. He backed away from her, reaching for his weapon.

"You aren't real! So whoever the hell is doing this, I'm gonna hunt your ass down and tear you a new one!" he shouted angrily.

"Aw come on! Is that how you treat your twin sister after being separated for so long? Come on Zack, I would never do anything to hurt you. There's a park over here where we can talk, let's go!" she said, running in the direction of the open plaza.

Against his better judgment, he followed the young woman out of the alleyway, out into the open plaza he and Sayo had already walked through. Hilda had been standing in the center of it, giving him a grin, holding her hands behind her back. He couldn't help but feel an odd sense of longing coming from the young woman, however he knew his sister well. They had been twelve when they were forcefully separated, but one thing he knew about her was that she would never willingly wear a dress. He let out a chuckle, reaching for his teigu.

"Five Senses: Specter. An Eye teigu that has five different senses, one of them being the power to show their target someone dear to them. That was the teigu that you stole wasn't it Zank?" he asked, an angry look on his face. The girl started giggling, the giggles turned into a shrill laugh filled with mirth.

"I really want to know, how you found that out?" she asked. Her body started disappearing, turning into the hulking man known as Zank the beheader.

He was a tall man, being six feet in height with blonde hair. He was wearing a pair of headphones over his ears. He was wearing a large coat, with a long white shirt underneath it, along with a thin sheet of metal armor. He wore a pair of black pants and boots. Stuck to his forehead was an eye shaped device, which was bright green in color. Zank licked his lips, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Finally, a member of Night Raid! I've heard quite a lot about your group...but there's always an elusive member, the so called Grim Reaper. But looking at you now, you don't look like much...it's gonna be great to see your head sliced off your shoulders!" he said.

" _I can't hide my thoughts from this guy, he'll just read them...I guess I'll just have to go for it."_ Zack thought to himself. He broke into a sprint, running straight at the man.

"Ah, running straight for me? An easy ploy! You'll try to hit me with a left hook, followed by a swipe of your hidden blade. When you think you have me on the ropes, you'll fire your poison blade at me, finishing me off!" Zank said. He grabbed Zack's arm, punching the teen hard in the stomach, sending him flying back.

He rolled on the ground for several feet, simultaneously grabbing the short sword he always kept sheathed along with Crescent Rose, in case of emergencies. He dashed forward, taking several swipes at Zank's head, the man easily dodging him. He rose his hands up, a pair of Katars appearing out of thin air, catching his blade.

"Yes! I love seeing the struggle! It's so much fun seeing people try to defeat me, when I know they can't!" he said, slashing at Zack's throat. The boy rose his Sword Breaker to deflect the hit, leaving himself open for a punch to the face. He cried in pain, clutching his now bloody nose.

"You fucker." he muttered.

"Come on, keep talking to me! I've got a question for you boy, why do you hide your face behind a mask? No need to hide the answer either, I'll figure it out on my own." Zank said, a serious look on his face. Zack spat at the ground, a new glob of blood decorating the cobblestone.

"I hide my face so I'm not constantly reminded of the past. I am a member of Night Raid, nothing more nothing less." he said firmly.

"Sounds to me like you're running away from something. And running away made you drop right in front of me! Let's see how you like this!" he cried, running at the teen. He swung his katars in wild arcs, all of them being parried by Zack, who had a look of strain on his face.

" _Shit! That damn teigu isn't letting me attack, I'm barely holding my own against him here!"_ he thought to himself. He felt one of the blades cut into his shoulder, making him jump back a few feet.

"Come here, I'll make it all stop!" Zank cried, throwing a slash at the boy.

Zack jumped back, eyes widened in shock as the man moved forward. It was all moving in slow motion for him, as he tried to formulate a counter offensive. That's when he saw a bolt land in the ground in front of him, causing Zank to stop. The red cloaked boy spun on his heel, slashing Zank right across the chest, taking him by surprise. He let out a shout, driving his fist right into the Executioner's face, sending him stumbling back a few feet.

"Heh...holy shit." Zack muttered, panting a bit while shaking his now injured hand.

"Hmm...I wasn't expecting this...I knew you weren't alone, but I didn't see this. I guess I should have predicted the future." Zank said, a frown on his face.

"Sayo get out of here! Find the others!" Zack cried.

"Are you insane? I can't leave you here alone with this guy, he was about to kill you!" the black haired archer cried, pulling another arrow from her quiver.

"He'll kill you if you don't leave! Go now!" Zack cried. He suddenly felt a rush of pain in his abdomen. He glanced down, seeing one of Zank's katars embedded into his abdomen. He gave the boy a smile.

"Tsk tsk...you shouldn't speak to someone else when you stand before me. Farewell boy, you were a good opponent." he said, swiping at Zack's throat.

The boy rose his right hand, using his hidden blade to block the katar. He dropped his short sword, reaching for his Silverballer, shooting Zank three times in the chest, causing the man to fall back, pulling the katar from his abdomen. He backed away from him, clutching at the bloodied wound. He fell to the ground, looking at the blood on his hands.

"Zack!" Sayo cried, kneeling beside the boy. He started hyperventilating, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Sayo...get out of here...he isn't dead." the boy said. Zank started laughing, quickly rising to his feet. The three bullets had embedded themselves in his armor, but the pain had been enough for him to back off.

"You know what they say, pain is a good motivator! Now I'll get to take your heads off...I wonder what this sexy dame will look like without her head! The expressions are endless." he said, laughing like a maniac. Sayo backed away, reaching for an arrow. She fired three in rapid succession, all of them being sliced in half by Zank.

" _Shit...here I am, about to die...I guess I have no choice but to do it...and I was hoping to save this until next time."_ Zack thought, reaching for Crescent Rose. He forced himself to stand up, spinning it around his body, holding the blade close to himself.

"Oh? You still have some fight in you? That's nice...nice nice nice! I get more time to play with you! After I kill your friend though...and might I say she has an excellent choice in underwear." the man said, his brows wiggling a bit.

"Ew gross! Is that teigu seriously letting him see my underwear?" she asked.

"One of the many benefits of Specter my dear, now hold still while I slice your head off!" he said.

"Grr...now Crescent Rose, it's time to unleash your bloodlust!" Zack cried, jabbing the tip of the scythe into his throat. He spun it around his neck, the new cut glowing a fierce crimson.

"Eh? Cutting your own head off? That's not how it works!" Zank said, turning to face the black haired boy. Sayo took her chance, firing an arrow to Zank's knee, making him fall to the ground. He let out a yelp, pulling the bolt right out, standing up like it was nothing.

"You little bitch, I'm gonna have lots of fun with that mouth of yours once your head has been cut off!" he said.

"The only fun you'll be having is going to be in hell!" Zack cried, his eyes glowing a brilliant crimson. He let out a loud laugh, blood running down his cheeks, coming right from his tear ducts. The cut on his abdomen started healing, sealing up almost instantly.

"Z-Zack?" Sayo called out, completely taken aback by the boy's behavior. He let out another laugh, running straight at Zank, dragging Crescent Rose across the ground. He let out a shout, swinging at the man who blocked the attack with his blade.

"Oh, a power up? I saw this one coming, nothing I can do but stop you!" he said, pushing Zack off. He started spinning his scythe around, an ominous red glow coming from the blade.

"Make you're move ass bite!" he said, panting a bit, as he bit his lip, making a torrent of blood pour out.

"Looks like I'll use one of my other senses. Specter: Spectral Copies!" the man chanted. The eye started glowing brilliantly, almost humming as several people appeared before the man.

"What the hell? Where did these people come from?" Sayo cried out.

"That's simple, all of these people are criminals that I beheaded! Specter is capable of creating living breathing copies of them, with all of their abilities in tact! Try taking down my army puny boy! Your bloodlust will wear off, and I'll finally get to cut your head off!" the man said happily.

Zack only grinned as the army of Specters ran at him. He threw a downward slash, stabbing the tip of his scythe into the first man. Spinning his body around, he was able to throw it into the crowd, tripping a few others. He spun his scythe around, letting off simultaneous gunshots. Body parts were flying in all directions, his laughter only increasing with each felled body.

"This must be his trump card...that Bloodlust thing that Tatsumi told me about." Sayo muttered. She grit her teeth, jumping back to avoid a slash from Zank. She did a handspring, landing in a crouch, letting an arrow fly, only for it to be slashed in half by Zank.

"Come on girlie! Let me see that lovely expression of yours!" he said, dashing at her. The man was suddenly tripped up by one of the specter bodies, which had flown right at his feet. Zack took a deep breath, pulling Crescent Rose back as far as he could.

The top of the scythe started swirling with a crimson energy, one that was just as ominous as the low laugh coming from Zack's lips. Sayo swallowed the lump in her throat, backing away from Zank. Crescent Rose's blade morphed into a larger version of itself, almost sparking with energy.

"Now take this! Crescent Rose: Witch Hunter!" he shouted, swinging his scythe as hard as he could. Zank rose his katars in time to block the attack, watching as they both shattered from the force of the attack. He let out a scream of agony, as the scythe slowly and painfully sliced him clean in half.

Zack didn't even wait for the attack to end. He swiped his weapon downward, slicing Zank's arms clean off, he slashed him again, doing the same to his legs. The Executioner literally fell apart, his body parts laying beside him. He let out a laugh, the last bits of his life starting to drain from him. His headphones fell off his head, a small smile on his face.

"Finally, I can't hear the voices anymore...I can't hear them anymore...all I hear is silence!" he said, letting out a tiny laugh. Zack walked up to the man, lifting his head with his foot, allowing it to rest on top of his blade.

"Zank the Beheader, I hear by sentence you to death. May you never be reborn into this mortal realm. See you in hell!" he said, slamming his boot right onto his face, slicing his head clean off his shoulders. The expression on his face was that of calmness. Zack knelt down, grabbing the Teigu off his forehead, placing it in his pocket.

"Zack...are you alright?" Sayo asked. The boy turned to face her, his eyes slowly returning to normal.

"I'm fine...sorry about that. When I use my trump card, all I can think about is killing what's in front of me. Bloodlust is a dangerous trump card, often times the user can't identify friend or foe, but I was able to spare you any harm...I'm glad for that." he said.

"Sayo, Zack! There you are...what the...is that?"

"Yeah, Zack finished him off." Sayo said, earning a nod from Tatsumi, who had coming along with Akame.

"I'd like to apologize...we ran into him earlier, but he said something about predicting the future, and disappeared. I didn't think he wold be coming for you." the black haired katana user said.

"Akame said, that a battle between teigu users often leads in the death of one person...I'm really glad that it wasn't you man." Tatsumi said.

"Same here, if I died, I couldn't tell Sayo how in love I am with her." he said.

"What?" the black haired archer cried, earning a laugh from the boy.

"Oh man, the look on your face was priceless!" he said, crying in pain a second later from the fierce punch he had taken.

"We should go, the others are most likely waiting for us." Akame said, earning a nod from the others. They quickly ran off, leaving the dismembered body of Zank in the abandoned plaza.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

"That's it, Zack was able to dismember the son of a bitch without breaking a sweat." Sayo said, earning a nod from Najenda.

The boy had been forced to take his shirt off by Akame as soon as Sayo had mentioned his wound. He insisted he was fine, but she wanted to make sure no major injuries had been left behind. It was also one of the rare times he had decided to take his mask off. By now everyone was used to seeing his scar, so no one was really bothered by it. He sported a scar across his abdomen from where Zank had stabbed him, but due to Crescent Rose's trump card, he had been able to regenerate enough for his injury to heal on its own.

"That's impressive. Zank was a powerful adversary, he had even faced off against Tatsumi and Akame and somehow managed to ditch them. I commend you, Master Assassin."

"Come on boss, now you're just praising me for now reason." the boy said, a small smile on his face.

"Um...I got a question, how the hell were you able to heal like that?" Tatsumi asked, earning a chuckle from Zack.

"Well, that ties into my teigu. When I activate my trump card, Bloodlust, my abilities are increased as well. Due to some...unfavorable experiences after my village burned down, I was given a regeneration factor. Sayo saw this in action that day we ran into those bandits." he said.

"Oh right...you were shot in the face and nothing happened. You were able to spit the bullet out and your cheek healed like nothing!" she said.

"That's because of an experiment Zack underwent when he was wondering around the Empire. He had been captured by slave traders and taken to an alchemist, who had developed some new medicine. He had forcefully injected it into Zack, hoping it would either fail or kill him, as it had killed several other children in the past. However, it ended up working, which is why Zack now has a regeneration factor." Najenda said firmly.

"Mhmm...but it isn't extensive. Unlike Leone's, who can heal anything from a small cut, to a severed limb, mine has limitations. If I'm tired, it won't work at all, and I have to kick start it with a special pill, which I ran out of a long time ago. The only way I can successfully use it is through Bloodlust. For now it only heals small injuries, like gunshots and small wounds." he said, earning nods from everyone.

"So that means he can die like everyone else if he doesn't have the chance to activate his trump card...that kinda sucks...someone with a skill like that could be really strong." Tatsumi said, earning a chuckle from the black haired boy.

"I wish it worked like that...but sadly there is one thing that is inevitable Tatsumi, and that's death. All of us will die at some point, maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually it's a fate that we all have to face. Not even regeneration can prevent that from happening." he said firmly.

"Um...I have a question...why do you have that tattoo on your lower back?" Sayo asked, pointing to the black mark on his waist bone. He looked at it, frowning a bit.

"That's a fleur-de-lis. I think I was born with it, I dunno...I remember Hilda having one too, but hers was on her arm...that was the reason why I was able to tell her apart from Zank's illusion." he said.

"Zack, how come you never told me about this mark? I've known you for six years now, I'm sure this would have come up at some point." Najenda said firmly.

"It's just a birthmark boss, nothing to worry about. Can I have my shirt now?" he asked, earning a nod from Akame, who handed him a freshly cleaned and stitched shirt, which he rapidly put on, not bothering to button it or anything.

"Hey, what about the Teigu? You said you snagged it right?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, let's see it." Lubbock added, an excited look on his face.

"Yeah yeah, give me a second." the boy said, reaching into his waist pouch, pulling Specter from within.

"Ooh, it looks so weird." Leone said, poking it with her finger.

"This is known as the Five Senses: Specter. It was made mostly for the wardens at the prison. It has five different senses, X-ray, Illusion, and three others that I don't know. It's trump card is Spectral Copies, the user can send out an army of living breathing illusions all from memory." he said.

"Sounds like a pretty powerful teigu." Sayo said, feeling a bit unnerved by it. She really didn't want to be near that thing.

"Well, we did recover it and it would be good to see what it can do. Sayo, Tatsumi, neither of you have your own so you two have priority. Which of you wants to try it first?" Najenda asked.

"I suppose I will." Sayo said, taking the teigu from Zack's hand. She looked it over, a frown on her face.

" _Ew...this thing was worn by that creep...all he did was ogle me and it bothered me a lot...but a teigu is a teigu...I can't look a gift horse in the mouth."_ she thought to herself. She brushed her bangs aside, placing the teigu on her forehead.

"So...what does it feel like?" Tatsumi asked, earning a glare from the girl. The teigu opened a second later, causing everyone to back away a bit.

"Oh wow! I can see threw it, it's like having a third eye!" Sayo said excitedly.

"Interesting, try one of the skills, Xray vision." Zack said. She nodded, closing her eyes as she tried to make it work. She opened her eyes, glancing at Bulat.

"So, what do you see?" he asked. Sayo started panting a bit, her cheeks flushing brightly.

"Oh...oh my." she said, biting her lower lip. She felt a sudden pain in her head, suddenly feeling weak.

"Shit, it's rejecting...get it off her." Lubbock said, catching the girl before she fell off. Zack pulled the teigu from Sayo's forehead, a frown on his face.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Why do I feel so tired?" she asked.

"That's the thing with teigu...if the weapon itself doesn't think you are suitable, then it won't work with you. What was your first thought of it?" Leone asked curiously.

"Well...I found it really creepy and gross...I mean, Zank kept staring at me with it." she said.

"First Impressions matter with weapons like this...since Tatsumi thought the same thing of it, I doubt it would work for him. I think it would be better to send this to Headquarters for further analysis." Zack said, handing it to Najenda.

"Quite right. Speaking off, we have a new assignment from HQ. They have found the location of a high profile target, a distant relative of Minister Honest just bought a house here in the capital. We've been tasked with his elimination." she said.

"The fucker loves using the Minister's name to exert his power. He kidnaps young women and then beats them until their near death. He practically does what he wants with them, using threats about arresting them if they don't comply." Leone said.

"Grr...the bastard...I wish I could run him through with my scythe." Zack said angrily.

"Well you can't champ...knowing he's a distant relative of Fuckface Mcguee, it means that he's gonna be heavily guarded. So that's a task that Mine will have to take care of. The rest of us will handle the security detail, all of them are also guilty." Cornelia said firmly, earning a nod from her partner.

"Night Raid, we attack tomorrow night, until then, get some rest...you'll definitely need it." Najenda said, standing up from her seat. Everyone broke off, heading off in the same direction, toward their room.

"Hey Zack, think I could talk to you real quick?" Sayo asked, causing the boy to stop.

"Yeah sure...something wrong?" he asked. The ravenette gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"You saved my life earlier. While you were dealing with that army, Zank was trying to kill me, and you took care of him. So thanks." she said.

"Uh...sure no problem...just try not to punch me in the same spot all the time. I'm starting to get a bruise." he said, poking at his arm.

"Try not to piss me off and I'll consider it." she said, brushing past him into her own room.

"Well look at that, when did you turn into a ladies man?" Cornelia asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"I haven't...I was just being my usual self." he said, reaching for his door handle.

"Right...that's why Sayo is all in wuv with you?"

"Well, if she is I don't blame her...I am an awesome person. Besides, she's the only one who's willing to kiss me. I've wanted to kiss you since we've met and you still haven't let me." he said, earning a huff from the blonde.

"One of these days, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard that you aren't going to speak ever again!" she said angrily.

"As if you could beat me. I pinned you the last time we fought, I'm still better than you at hand to hand." he said.

"Pfft, my ass...you wanna put your money where your mouth is?" she asked.

"Actually I do...if you win, I'll give you three platinum, I know you're short on money because you've been giving it to the poor like always, and three platinum is a great boon." he said firmly.

"Fine...but what do you want from me if you win?"

"A serious date, no bullshit. Just you and me hanging out in town, nothing more nothing less." he said, a serious tone in his voice. Cornelia looked at him, slightly taken aback. A smirk tugged on her lips.

"Oh, you're trying to get me to kiss you eh? Why not go for that instead? Because you know I'll never let you win?" she asked.

"If that's how you see it. Do we have a deal?" he asked, holding his hand out. She smirked, clasping his hand with her own.

"We do...just so you know, I am not going to go easy on you."

"Same, does full contact bother you?"

"It never has. Try to rest up Zack, you'll need all the strength you can get." she said, slipping into her room. Zack frowned, walking into his own room.

" _Jeez, can't that idiot see that I'm seriously in love with her? Why did you gift me with such a stubborn partner?"_ he asked, glancing at the ceiling. He let out a sigh, keen on getting some rest, he knew he was going to need it.


	7. Kill the Antagonism

**A/N:**

 **Sorry for the long wait tonight. I was actually gonna post this chapter earlier, but I got distracted watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory...this movie is such a classic and it had been so long since I've seen it. I would like to say this is one of my favorites, even if I like the 2005 version slightly better. Rest in Peace Gene Wilder, the first Willy Wonka, and a wonderful actor who made the dreams of millions a reality.**

 **Now, onto the new chapter...this chapter is quite a lengthy one, and will have quite a lot of emotional stuff near the end. First I would like to say that I do not tolerate Child abuse of any kind, that of course includes sexual abuse. I don't condone it at all, so I would like to say, if you ever feel like you are being abused, mentally, physically or sexually, please ask for help. Don't be scared to seek help from anyone. If you are being bullied, cyberbullied or anything else, seek help from your parents, principles, the police, anyone you think can help you. Abuse is never a good thing, whether that's Domestic Abuse, Substance Abuse, Child Abuse, any and all kinds of abuse is wrong.**

 **Regardless, I shall not leave you with this chapter. Nothing of the sort happens, but there are mentions of it. Akame Ga Kill is a dark fantasy story and it has quite a lot of fucked up shit that goes down. Including a lot of Child Abuse, Slavery and Human Trafficking, all of it is disgusting, but it also highlights just how bad of a place the Empire truly is...a place where you can do whatever you want and have no repercussions, all because of one man in charge. It's a scary thought, seeing what a single man can do to a nation. Again, I leave you with this new chapter, as always, leave a review if you liked it, or hated it...I don't care...just please, don't call me a bitch, those are naughty words, so never use them...**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 7

Kill the Antagonism

 _ **xxx Night Raid Training Grounds xxx**_

It was mid morning at the Night Raid base, just after breakfast in fact, when all of the members were gathered at the training ground. Zack was standing on the left side of it, stretching his arms a bit as he started warming himself up. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, with a pair of black pants and his boots. Across from him stood his opponent for the day, his partner Cornelia, who was wearing a black tank top and short jean shorts, with a pair of sneakers. The two of them hadn't said a word to each other, not at breakfast and not anywhere else.

Zack of course had told Najenda about his bet, so he could have someone referee the match. She of course let it slip to the other members of Night Raid, which was why they were all outside. No one had picked teams, but Bulat was obviously cheering for his bro Zack. Mine looked indifferent, while Sayo and Tatsumi had worried looks on their faces. Leone was sitting down on the ground cross legged, a mug of sake beside her, along with a bucket filled with gold coins. She was holding a bet, to see who would win, so far, three had bet for Zack winning, and three had voted against him winning. Two were indifferent and chosen not to sink their money into the pot.

Cornelia smirked, punching the air a few times as she shifted her weight around. She was of course doing this as an intimidation tactic, but Zack wasn't having any of it. He had been on so many missions with her that he didn't even bat an eye. He just continued doing his exercises, warming himself up for the no doubt long and grueling fight that was ahead of him.

"Alright then, this fight is going to be a one on one match between Zack and Cornelia. The first person to be pinned loses...let it be known that this will be a fist fight only, no weapons will be allowed and if any weapon is pulled, it will be grounds for instant disqualifications. There will be no time limit, so go at it until you bleed. But try not to hurt each other too much, we do have a mission after all."

"You got it boss!" both teens said. Bulat rung the nearby bell, starting the fight up. Zack and Cornelia walked toward the center of their makeshift ring, bumping fists before squaring up.

"You're going down Reaper boy, you know you can't beat me in a fist fight." she said, a smirk on her face.

"We'll see about that Raven, we'll see." he said, throwing a fake out punch at her ribs. She easily caught his fist, only to be hit square in the face. She stumbled back a few feet, wiping her lip.

"That was good, but not good enough." she said, springing forward.

She threw an uppercut at his chin which he easily avoided. The blonde stepped forward, throwing a series of high punches, making him raise his arms in defense. With the new opening, she slammed her leg into his side, finishing her combo with a haymaker to the ribs.

Zack hissed a bit, rubbing his side as he shifted his weight around, trying not to focus on the pain. His regeneration would heal whatever bruises happened, but he knew that would take quite a lot of time for it to happen. He took a step forward, causing Cornelia to back up a bit. He took this initiative to throw a heavy punch at her face, which she instinctively block, using her right arm. This gave him an opening right in the center of her chest, causing her to fall to the ground. He pounced on her a second later.

"Come on Zack, you got this shit! Pin her down!" Lubbock cried, clapping his hands.

"Cornelia, I swear if you fucking lose I'm gonna kick your ass!" Leone cried out, earning a chuckle from her fellow blonde.

She slammed her forehead into Zack's nose, a torrent of blood rushing right out. She grabbed his arms and placed her feet onto his chest, kicking him through the air. He slammed onto his back, quickly rising to his feet a second later. Even though he was winded, he knew if he didn't attack he would just get pinned. So he ran forward, throwing a series of jabs at the blonde in front of him.

"You're slowing down boy, what's wrong? Can't fight straight because I'm a girl?" she asked. The boy threw another fake out, allowing him to punch her right in the gut. He slammed his fist under her chin, making her fall back onto the ground.

"You talk too much Nelly, and that's your problem!" the boy said, jumping onto the fallen girl again. He took a hold of her arms, placing his knee on her back.

"Gah...fuck! Zack I swear to god, when I get out of this I'm gonna beat your face in!" she cried, howling in pain as he pulled harder. She pulled her arms as hard as she could, his grasp on one of her hands loosening it. She yanked it out and reached behind her, pinching his skin rather hard.

"Ow! That's cheating!" he cried, jumping away from her. She let out a cry, throwing a roundhouse kick to his head, which he easily caught.

"Alls fair in love and war." she said, a cheeky grin on her face. She stomped on his foot with her free leg, causing him to let go. She side kicked him in the chest, sending him through a basket of wooden swords.

"Oh, he's gonna have splinters for awhile." Bulat said, cringing a bit. He glanced at Sheele who had lost interest in the fight, reading a book instead. She did have a little flag in her hands with Zack's name on it, and was waving it around every other second.

Zack brushed all of the broken bits of wood off his skin, glaring at Cornelia who still had a cheeky grin on her face. He cracked his knuckles, holding his fists up. The girl rolled her eyes and moved forward, throwing a few punches which he easily blocked. He threw a punch to her face, eliciting a pained grunt from her. She countered his punch with one of her own, punching his already bruised nose.

She threw together three speedy punches right to his chest, which pushed the boy back a few feet. He tried catching his breath, but the blonde wouldn't let him. He jumped back a few times, trying to avoid her punches and kicks, until he tripped on a discarded practice sword. Cornelia seized her chance and pounced on him, pulling his arm behind his back, driving his face onto the dirt.

"Come on, say uncle, I know you want to." she said. He tried to break free of her hold, but she was pinning his waist down with her legs, making it almost impossible for him to move. She pulled on his arm again, cracking his shoulder.

"Gah...you bitch! I'll get out of this, you'll see."

"1...2...3...4." Najenda started, making the boy grit his teeth.

"Goddamn it!" he muttered. He used his free arm as leverage, managing to push the blonde off himself. He quickly jumped onto her, pinning her arms above her head.

"Go ahead, do your worst." he said, giving her a grin. Cornelia smirked as she hocked a glob of spit right into his eyes, making him sigh angrily. He just continued holding her in place, listening in as Najenda started counting.

"You can't win Zack! I won't let you!" the girl snapped.

"Oh yeah, you'll have to do something other than spitting in my eye. You'll never..." the boy paused as Cornelia spat right in his mouth, causing him to let her go. He started spitting on the ground, unable to avoid the punch to his forehead. He fell back onto the ground, dazed from the hit.

"Technical Knockout!" Najenda cried.

"No! I'm still good!" the boy said, forcing himself to his feet. The blonde wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling against him tightly. He dug his fingers into her skin as hard as he could, hoping for her to let go.

"Come on...pass out already!" she cried. The boy grit his teeth, slowly becoming limp. He felt his eyes close, the woman finally letting him go. She let out a sigh.

"Finally, thought he would never give in." she said. Zack let out a chuckle, wrapping his arm around her leg, pulling her down to the ground. He pulled the blonde into a leg lock, holding her arm tightly with both of his own.

"Cry uncle!" he cried.

"Never!"

"These two are really going at it...what was the bet again?" Tatsumi asked.

"No one knows...all we know is that there was a bet between them and neither were willing to share. Which reminds me, anyone want to up the ante? We sit at one hundred coins each for Zack and Cornelia...do I hear two hundred?" Leone asked, causing Lubbock and Akame to throw in some money into the pot.

"Two hundred on Zack." the green haired boy said.

"Two hundred on Cornelia." Akame added, earning a nod from Leone.

"Anyone else? Come on...you know you want too." she said, trying to bait the others.

Cornelia had somehow managed to break free of Zack's hold, causing the two of them to back away from each other. They had been fighting for ten minutes now, and had both started wearing out. They knew the fight didn't have much longer, and both were trying to get each other out in any way possible. Zack already knew the only way to do that was to knockout his opponent...but Cornelia was definitely a strong woman. She had taken her ripped shirt off, choosing to remain in her black sports bra, a few bruises had already appeared on her chest.

"Come on, you want to win so badly you can taste it...hurry up, knock my ass out."

"The same could be said for you...you ain't shit Nelly, that's why you can't knock me out." he said, causing her to growl. She ran at him, throwing another high kick at him, which he easily blocked.

He backed away, watching her leg movements closely, as she kept throwing fake outs at him, aiming for his head. He jumped back, watching her attempt a spinning axe kick, only he was able to grab her leg, sweeping her to the ground with ease. He grabbed a hold of her bra, about to punch her in the face when she took a hold of his arm, vaulting him over herself. He sprung to his feet, aiming another punch to her face.

"They're getting serious!" Sayo said.

"Just so you know, Bulat taught those two personally. All of those techniques are derived from the military style the both of us were taught while in the Empire. Those two are the best hand to hand fighters on the team, right after the main man himself." Najenda said.

"You praise me too much, I was just passing on my wisdom." the man said, blushing a bit from the praise.

Zack growled as he tried to land a solid hit on the elusive blonde. She had started giggling after awhile, as if taunting him for not landing a hit. It seemed as if she had gotten faster at dodging hits, no doubt as a way to improve her agility. He threw a punch at her belly, which she dodged with a back flip. He smirked, rapidly throwing a kick to her back, sending her sprawling to the ground. He wrapped his arm around her neck, slipping his leg through her own while grabbing a hold of one, pulling her into another lock.

"Come on motherfucker! You ain't shit!" he shouted angrily. He let out a scream of pain as Cornelia bit into his arm, growling almost like a feral wolf as she drew blood. He let go of the woman, who easily kicked him away from her.

"Jesus H, you fucking bit me." he said, watching the bite mark slowly fade from his skin.

"Duh, Bulat rule number nine. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, do whatever you can to break free, even if it means resorting to primal instincts to get away." she said firmly.

"I'm so proud of her." Bulat said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"What the hell bro! You're supposed to be on my side!" Zack cried out, dodging a punch to his jaw. Cornelia uppercutted his abdomen, the air in his lungs exploding from within. She smirked, grabbing a hold of his shoulders, her leg twitching a bit. The boy quickly swept her arms away, throwing a punch directly at one of her breasts.

"Ow! You fucking asshole, that hurts like shit!" she cried, rubbing her injured breast.

"Bulat Rule Number 12: Even if it's messed up, use whatever way you can to win, no matter how dirty. An assassin doesn't play to win, he plays to kill." he said, a smirk on his face.

"Seriously?" Tatsumi asked, glancing at the muscular man.

"What? I didn't make the rules!" he said.

"They have your name on them dumb ass!" Lubbock cried, earning a chuckle from the man, who started whistling while fixing his pompadour.

"Well, if you want me to follow the rules, then I'll definitely follow them." Cornelia said. She slammed her foot right into Zack's groin, causing the boy to scream in pain, falling to his knees. The blonde woman walked up behind him, wrapping her arm around his neck, pulling him back.

"Hehe yes, your boobs feel nice on my back!" he said through grit teeth, waves of pain flowing from his lower regions through his body.

"This fight is finished! Give up!" the blonde cried.

"1...2...3...4...5!"

Zack continued to struggled, reaching behind his back, taking a hold of Cornelia's hair, trying to get her to let go. He bit into her arm, causing her stream in pain, from both the hair pulling and the bite. The loud chime of the bell rung through the area, and the boy was dropped to the ground. Najenda walked over to Cornelia, lifting her arm high into the air.

"Winner, Cornelia! Nice job Zack, I'm impressed with your abilities." she said. The boy spat a glob of blood onto the grass, a frown on his face.

"I suppose she did win. Fine, to the winner go the spoils." he said, handing the blonde the three Platinum coins.

"Hehe yes! I can finally buy myself those new boots I wanted, thanks a lot for the fight Zack, it was good to let out some steam." the girl said, clapping his shoulder.

"Oh sure, whatever...not like I wanted to go on that date or anything." he said, brushing her hand off as he grabbed his tunic and cloak, walking toward the showers. Cornelia shrugged it off, shoving the coins in her pocket.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the bath house, want to join me Sayo? We haven't hung out since I came back from the mission in Shamo."

"Sure Cornelia, I actually wanted to talk to you about that shampoo you use." the ravenette said, following the blonde out of the training ground.

"I feel bad for Zack, poor guy doesn't catch a break." Lubbock said, frowning as he was forced to hand over his money to the winners. Sheele hadn't moved, too focused on her book to say anything.

"What do you mean by that?" Tatsumi asked, glancing at the green haired man, who frowned at his now empty coin bag.

"He challenged Cornelia to a fight to score a date with her. It's kind of obvious that he likes her, but she doesn't see it that way. He must be suffering something worse than rejection right now." he said.

"Heh, that kid is an idiot for falling in love with that blonde bimbo. She's too dense to even realize his emotions are getting hurt. He deserves someone better." Mine said, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder. She headed to the Shooting Range before anyone could reply.

Zack frowned as he started getting dressed. He had decided to break out a new outfit for himself, after three successful missions in a row. He grabbed a new pair of brownish black pants, slipping them onto his legs. He grabbed his leather belt and slipped it through the loops, securing it firmly with his buckle. He grabbed a pair of black and red leather boots and slipped them on, trying the red laces. He started humming to himself, as he put on a sleeveless black shirt, followed by his long sleeved over shirt, which fit snugly over his muscular frame. He put on a black and red sleeveless vest, with a tall color, laced in crimson, the edges being a matching crimson as well.

The vest was one he had bought in Versailles from one of his friends. It had been enchanted to provide some protection against sword attacks. Of course it couldn't prevent all attacks, but it would help him out with some of his fights. He secured the black belts across it, buckling them into place. He grabbed his new leather belt, wrapping it around his waist, securing it on.

He walked over to his desk, grabbing some shotgun shells, slipping them into the special holders. He attached his three enchanted pouches to special clips on them, filling them up with ammo. He grabbed his new gun holster and placed it around his leg, securing it tightly onto it, placing his Silverballer into it. He checked his shotgun over and placed it into the special holster at his leg. The final weapon he grabbed was Crescent Rose, which he attached to his belt, slipping it through the special loops until they had been perfectly secured. He looked himself over, smiling brightly.

"You look killer, ready to fight...ah wait, not yet." he said, grabbing his new crimson cloak from his bed. He flicked it out a bit as he slipped it over his shoulders, securing it around his neck. The last thing he grabbed was his mask, which he secured onto his face, making sure it wouldn't slip off. Once he was done, he walked toward the door, leaving his bedroom.

"Whoa...new outfit?" Tatsumi asked, catching the boy by surprise. He looked himself over, giving him a nod.

"I decided to get some new threads after getting promoted to Master Assassin. My new hidden blade won't be finished for awhile, so this is how I define myself. Besides, some people in Marina saw my old outfit, so I needed to ditch it." he said.

"Makes sense, keeping the outfits different would throw the trail off, if only for a bit. Perhaps I should get something myself, the whole sweater and jeans thing is starting to get old." he said, looking himself over. Zack chuckled, shaking his head.

"So, how was training with Sheele, it was her turn today." he said.

"Ugh...it was total fucking hell...she had me swimming through the river with a full set of armor."

"Really? That's nothing, that's basic training for us back in Versailles. Trust me, all of this builds endurance, it will make you run faster with armor if for some reason you need to wear it. Once she's done teaching you what she knows...then you'll be with me. I'll be teaching you how to handle a spear, so get ready for that." Zack said, brushing past the boy.

"Thanks Zack, you've been a real friend to us since we joined. It makes me feel real comfortable here." the boy said.

"No problem bro...Bulat Rule Number 1: Treat your fellow comrades as nothing more than best friends and family. We are all family, even if we are rejected by the world, we can all be rejects together." he said, disappearing down the hallway.

 _ **Xxx Location: Imperial Palace: Throne Room xxx**_

"Domestic Administrator Shouji, you have disapproved of my policies and are charged with delaying government duties. Therefore I sentence you to dismemberment by bulls!" Emperor Makoto said, causing the man before him to swallow hard. The other senators and administrators all put on poker faces, not wanting to say anything. The little boy smiled, glancing over his shoulder.

"Is this good Honest?"

"Why of course! It's thanks to him that our policies didn't go through. I believe this punishment is very fair." he said, taking a bite from his meat, causing the boy to sigh.

"Meat again? Where do you even get all of that meat?" he asked.

"Oh you know, it's best to eat it while it's fresh!" the man said, growling as he pulled on his steak.

"Emperor Makoto! I have done nothing wrong, you on the other hand are being fooled by the Minister! Lend an ear to the woes of your people, that man is using you, turning you into his puppet! He is doing as he pleases while you sit back and do nothing!" Shouji screamed, his voice echoing through the room. The little boy frowned, looking at his minister.

"Why is he saying that?" he asked curiously.

"He's obviously lost his mind. He's gone insane due to being charged and sentenced." the man said, a frown on his face. He glanced back at the administrator, a smirk on his face.

"Esteemed Shouji, what a sad goodbye this is."

"Your Majesty! The Empire's 1000 year glory is only going to end! If rotten people like this man here continue to stay in power, our Empire will crumble to dust!" Shouji shouted, as he was being hoisted up by the two guards.

"Don't worry Administrator, you just leave that beautiful wife of yours to me...I'll make sure she's well taken care of." Honest said, licking his lips. Shouji let out a feral scream, trying to break free.

"He can't get away with this! Someone kill this disgusting monster!" he shouted, his echoing voice being ignored by everyone.

"That was handled most excellently, your majesty. However, I do bring some terrible news. It seems some our distant contacts have been killed. Senator Frolo was assassinated in Marina, the Wicked Wench was hijacked by unknown Pirates, the Sheriff of Shamo Village along with two esteemed officers were also taken care of. Finally, nobleman Franklin R. Den was also assassinated. All of these crimes point to Night Raid." Honest said.

"Those guys again! They're making my Empire a horrible place to live! We need to take care of them as quickly as possible." Makoto said, slamming his fist against his throne.

"If I may make a suggestion, we should wait for a bit. The only regrettable loss we've had is the Wicked Wench, but a ship like her can be rebuilt easily. It is a shame that Senator Frolo is not with us anymore, but he was getting old and senile. We can fill his and Shouji's seats easily. Let Night Raid play for now, they will meet their end soon enough." Honest said, surprising the boy.

"If you say so...but if there are anymore kills attributed to them, they shall be taken care of. Have you heard of that tribe you sent after them?"

"No, I believe they were killed back in chapter 4, none of them have reported back in." Honest said.

"Huh? Never mind, perhaps we should sent more people after them...once Night Raid is gone, my empire will continue blooming. Everyone is dismissed...we wouldn't want to miss the execution of a former friend now would we?" the boy said, earning bows from the remaining senators, who all filed out of the room. Honest couldn't help but grin.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City: Unknown xxx**_

" _Your target this time around is a distant relative of Minister Honest, a man named Iokal. He uses the Minister's name to exert and abuse women. His guards are also guilty of this crime...so go on Night Raid, rid us of this thorn in our side."_

Najenda's words rung through his head as he ran through the forest, with his partner Cornelia by his side. It had been quite awhile since they had worked together, the blonde being excited to have her partner back instead of the other members of Night Raid. Her long hair flew behind her as she ran, ducking and weaving through the tree branches, avoiding rocks and stumps in her way. She didn't even look winded from all of the energy she was excreting. It made the boy smile a bit, but also reminded him of the humiliating loss he had that morning.

They came to a stop at the top of a hill, seeing a large olden style mansion sitting at the top of a tall cliff, a long stone stairway extending toward it. It was a beautiful mansion, painted a bright crimson in color with traditional paper lanterns. The sound of music could be heard, along with some distant voices. Zack pulled out his telescope and flicked it outward, looking through it. He saw several women walking around the second and third floors of the house, wearing kimonos of various colors.

"We found the place...Mine and Tatsumi should be in position...our job is to fight against the Imperial Fist soldiers that protect Iokal." Cornelia said, earning a nod from Zack.

"I'll be glad when this scumbag is taken care of. The last thing I need is a fucker beating women...maybe if I get lucky, my sister will be here." he said, peeking through his scope.

"Why would you even say that? That would be a horrible fate for her!" Cornelia said.

"I'm being realistic. I did a background check on Iokal, he likes accusing women with crimes they didn't commit, abusing Honest's name, then he turns them into his personal maids, and beats them for entertainment. I'm not saying it would be ideal, but I can keep my hopes up." he said, the frown on his face deepening a bit.

"Hey, about earlier...I wanted to apologize...you were about to win, but I had to low blow you in order to get the win myself. I felt really bad, so I want you to have your money back." the blonde said.

"You won that fair and square...nothing wrong with using a low blow to win, after all...our enemies don't play by the rules either." he said firmly, reaching for his handgun. He looked it over, screwing the suppressor onto the end of the barrel.

"Still, I shouldn't have resorted to that...we can still have that date if you want." she said, glancing away from him, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Work before the mission sweetheart, always remember that." he said, scowling a bit. He wasn't exactly in the mood for a pity date. Cornelia must have realized that, and remained silent, glancing around for any signs of her friends. She heard a loud gunshot nearby, seeing a glowing beam of light heading straight toward the mansion. The sounds of screaming filled the area.

"We're on!" Zack said, a grin on his face as he ran forward, sliding down the steep him. Cornelia did the same, jumping down the ledges and grabbing onto branches to slow herself down. They landed at the foot of the ravine, hiding among the trees.

" _GO! We mustn't let the assassins that killed Iokal Go! Kill them all!"_ a voice shouted. Zack rose his gun, pointing through the trees. One of them burst through the trees, taking a gunshot right through the forehead.

Cornelia ran forward, slamming her foot right into a second man, slamming him into a nearby tree. She threw a punch to his chest, uppercutting his chin with Crushing King, causing his neck to snap violently. She turned in time to grab the third attacker, his head snapping to the side from the silent gunshot he had taken to the head. She and Zack kept moving forward, staying hidden within the woods.

"Do you know how many more we have to face?" Zack asked as quietly as he could.

"I'm not sure...all I know is that they're all men who trained at the temple of the Imperial Fist. So they aren't to be taken lightly." she said firmly, earning a chuckle from him.

"Yet we took three out rather easily...makes me think the temple is skipping out on their training."

"Be serious! These guys don't play around!" she said.

"Night Raid! I knew it was you!" a man cried, running right at Cornelia. She rose her arms to guard the attack, only for the man to side step her, running straight for Zack. He threw a palm strike at him, which he easily dodged.

Zack threw a hard punch right to his face, hissing a bit in pain from hitting the hard mask. The man smirked as he moved forward, throwing a series of speedy punches. The assassin's head moved to and fro as he backed away from the man. Cornelia let out a cry, aiming a punch to the man's head, only he blocked it, grabbing a hold of her hand. He slammed his knee into her gut, sending her sprawling to the ground. Zack took his chance, pulling out his gun, shooting the man in the head, only the bullet bounced off his mask.

"What the hell?" he muttered, earning a chuckle from the man.

"I'm not stupid...my mask is bullet proof, so you won't be able to kill me that easily. And don't even bother shooting me anywhere else, due to my training, I am capable of tensing my muscles enough to block bullets!" he said.

"So...that means you want us to go all out, fine by me then...I have no qualms with granting your wish." Cornelia said, brushing the dirt off her white cloak. Zack placed his gun back in his holster, reaching for his short sword, drawing it from Crescent Rose's holster.

"Just so you know, I am a Sixth Degree Black belt at the temple of the Imperial Fist, I am not to be taken lightly!"

"Fuck you and your Imperial Fist!" Zack cried, running at the man, taking a wide slash at him. The man jumped back, avoiding a kick from Cornelia. He smirked, jumping at the girl, slamming his palms into her chest, sending her flying back.

Zack ran forward, catching Cornelia with ease, using the momentum, he swung the girl around as hard as he could. She drove her leg into the man's jaw, the loud ding from the metal mask filling the air. The two assassins hissed, running at the man, throwing various attacks at him, all of them being dodged or deflected by him.

" _This guy is good. I guess the Temple wasn't slacking off after all."_ he thought to himself. He spun his sword around spinning on his heel as he slashed the man's chest, sending a bit of blood through the air. Even then, the gash wasn't deadly. The man started laughing loudly.

"I told you, by tensing my muscles, you can't do damage to me at all!" he said.

"Maybe not to you, but I can still do damage to the ground!" Cornelia said, jumping into the air. Her Shingu glowed a brilliant white as she slammed it into the ground, causing it to shake violently. The man jumped back, using the rocks rising out of the ground to dodge the quake. Zack raced forward, pulling out Crescent Rose.

"That isn't going to work on me!" he said, slashing right through the rock. With his blade, he was able to send the giant chunk toward the man, who broke it apart instantly.

Zack cut through some trees, sending the logs at the man who used them as platforms to dodge Cornelia's attacks. The boy shifted his scythe into its rifle form, raising it to his shoulder as the barrel slowly extended. He pulled the bolt back, a smirk on his face. He pulled the trigger, firing a .50 caliber round right through the man's side, making it fly right through him. He let out a scream, only to be punched into the ground by Cornelia.

The two of them walked toward the man, watching him pant in pain as blood rushed from the bullet holes, a large chunk of flesh was missing due to the exit wound. He growled angrily, his mask cracked from the blonde's punch. She pulled it right off his face, bright blue eyes staring back at them.

"You...won't get...away with this...Night Raid!" he exclaimed. Zack pointed the barrel of his rifle to his chin, an emotionless look on his face.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled!" the two assassin's said in unison, a loud bang echoing through the quiet woods. They nodded to each other, heading toward the rendezvous location.

"That guy was something else...he held his own against you." Zack said, sheathing his teigu.

"Duh, I'm the best of the best when it comes to hand to hand. You should know that better than anyone else." she said, giving him a wink. He growled, choosing to ignore her. They made it back to the giant tree, only to find the rest of their team staring at Mine and Tatsumi who were in a rather boisterous argument. Zack noticed the bald spot on the brunette's head, already knowing what had happened. He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. It was going to be a rather lively night for all of them on their walk home.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City xxx**_

"I fucking hate surprise missions." Mine muttered, as she walked through the city with Tatsumi and Zack in tow. They had been trying not to raise attention to themselves, though they were in some of the shady parts of the city, so to them it didn't matter.

"I get what you mean. We did handle that Iokal guy, I just wasn't expecting HQ to radio in and give us another assignment, a day later." Tatsumi added, reaching for his sword which was at his waist, behind his back. The black haired boy chuckled, shaking his head.

"Come on, surprise missions are the spice of life. Besides this one is one we need to take care of. I can't believe a Nobleman is giving drugs to children." he said, growling angrily.

The mission they had been given was one from a scout in the city. Apparently, there was a Noble that had connections all around the city. He provided funds for various illicit things within the city, by selling drugs to the citizens. Not only that, his main way of selling drugs was to use children, and dress them as Boy Scouts of Girl Scouts...they had even heard some of the code words that had been developed so they wouldn't get caught. It was even worse knowing he was masking the operation behind an orphanage.

"Where was this place located?" Tatsumi asked again, stopping to look around for a few seconds. Zack glanced around, walking toward one of the nearby alleyways. He paused for a second, glancing at one of the wanted posters.

"Be on your guard, red cloaked scythe wielding individual is on the prowl, thought to be an assassin from Night Raid. No image has been provided, but be vigilant. This man is wanted dead or alive for his crimes against the crown...pfft...they couldn't even get my handsome face drawn in." he said.

"That's a good thing...the last thing we need is you being on a wanted poster." Mine said, ripping the paper off the wall, tearing it to shreds. They continued walking through the alleyway, making sure to keep their eyes open.

It wasn't long before they found the large green house they had been looking for. It was panted with bright attractive colors, and had a large courtyard with an added playground. The word Orphanage was written on the large sign. Despite it being the location of a drug lord, it was a pretty clean place. There were a few people walking around this plaza, which was otherwise closed off from the public, but it was obvious what they were there for.

"This is it...be on your guard." Zack muttered, walking firmly toward the house. There was a guy standing next to the sign, who held his hand out to him, stopping him from proceeding forward.

"Whoa there kiddo...what are you doing? The Orphanage is closed for the night." the man said.

"Hmm? Oh my mistake...I was just looking for come _Mint Chocolate Cream._ Figured you guys were open, we'll come back tomorrow." he said, turning around, nodding to his friends.

"Wait...I'm sure we have some to spare...go ahead in, the Headmaster will meet you." he said, letting them go through. The other man at the door nodded, opening the door for them.

The foyer of the building looked rather normal. It was clean and amicable, and very luxurious. There was a round rug in the center of the tiled floor, which was a dark silver color, the middle being black. The walls were painted beige, with drawings of butterflies, dogs, cats and various other animals. Zack didn't see a single kid walking around, and that was a worrying thought.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with? The orphanage is closed you know." a woman said, earning a smile from Zack.

"Yes, me and my friends here were looking for some _Mint Chocolate Cream._ We just lost our friend, who was slain by that Zank guy...we just want to take the edge off...maybe have some fun." he said, gesturing to Mine, who had a smile on her face.

"Oh...of course, follow me...I can get everything sorted out. The Headmaster is quite busy upstairs, so I'll be able to help you. You have payment correct?" the woman asked, leading them down the left hallway.

"Of course we do...but it's...well it's a little hard to explain. You see, my friend Jason here isn't keen on letting me have fun with his girlfriend, so...well you might call me crazy but...I'm looking for someone to share those cookies with, if you catch my drift." the boy said.

"Hmm...well we do offer that service as well...we have some rather delectable cookies for you to choose from. Would you like to pick some out first?" the woman asked, earning a nod from Zack. They entered another room, which was a bit darkened.

There was nothing but a glass window in this room, some men were sitting in chairs, reading some books or something. The woman nodded to the two men who rapidly stood up, disappearing through another door. Zack stood in the center of the room, with Tatsumi and Mine behind him. The boy gave a subtle nod to his friend, who stood next to the door, a hand on his sword, which was hidden by his cloak. Mine was doing the same, using her cloak to hide the fact she was holding a rifle in her hands.

"Do you have any preference?" the woman asked. Zack shrugged.

"Not really, anyone will do." he said, giving her a perverted smile.

"Oh...then I'll have to bring out the best. You have payment correct? This service is extra you know." she said. Zack pulled out a platinum coin, handing it to the woman, who looked at it wide eyed.

"I want your best girls, ages twelve to seventeen, and make sure the fifteen through seventeen year olds have some meat on their bones." he said firmly. She nodded, pocketing the coin as she walked over to the panel, pressing a button.

"Girls A-J, bring out ages twelve through seventeen, the best ones we've got." she said.

It wasn't long before fourteen girls were brought out into the room behind the glass. All of them looked frightened and scared. Zack couldn't help but feel bile rising in his throat. All of the girls had been forced to wear swimsuits, some were even topless as they were brought out, chains holding their arms and legs together so they wouldn't run. They all turned to face the boy, as he looked at every girl.

"See one you like? Or more?" she asked.

"Hmm...I like number four, but I don't think she'll do me justice." he said.

"Alright then, she's a potential one then."

" _Sorry boss, one of the girls didn't want to get in, we brought here in for you."_ a voice said through the speaker. A final girl was pushed through the door.

She was clearly distraught, and was attempting to pound the door, trying her hardest to claw her way out. One of the men inside the room punched her in the face, throwing her against another girl who did nothing but let her fall to the ground. He forcefully grabbed her by her hair, forcing her to stand up. She grit her teeth, tears running down her face. Zack's breath hitched in his throat, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He saw the fleur-de-lis on her arm, confirming his suspicions. The woman smirked, licking her lips.

"Ah...so she's taken your fancy? I'll let you know, she's one of our most requested girls, we always get different prices for her. You have no idea how hard it's been for us to keep her a virgin. Our buyers have done everything to her but take her virginity. I hear a lot of men would pay a lot of platinum for something like that." the woman said. She turned her head to face Zack, only to see the barrel of a gun pressed to her face.

"Fuck you!" he said, pulling the trigger. Her body dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks, blood splattering all over the glass window beside her.

Zack said nothing as he walked into the other room, one of the men had been waiting next to the other door. As soon as he saw the firearm in the boy's hand, he rose his own gun, only for his brains to splatter against the white door behind him. He kicked the door open right after, causing all of the girls to scream in surprise.

"What the?"

"Shut up!" Zack shouted, pulling the trigger of his gun. He emptied the magazine into the man, slamming his foot against his head, crushing it with ease. All of the girls looked at him in shock, backing away from the boy.

"Get away from me!" the brunette cried, scrambling away from the man. Zack knelt down in front of her, wiping his tears away as he wrapped his arms around her frame.

"Hilda...I've finally found you." he said softly. The girl gasped in shock, her lip quivering a bit. She pushed herself away from him, looking at the boy closely.

"Z-Zack?" she asked softly. He nodded, reaching for the keyring strapped to the dead guard's waist. He found the master key and slipped it into the cuffs, letting the girl go.

"It's me sis, I've searched all over for you. You have no idea what I've done to find you! And now I finally have!" he said, hugging the girl tightly. She wrapped her arms around his frame, breaking into sobs.

"Zack, big brother I've missed you so fucking much!" she cried.

"It's okay, it'll all be okay, I'll get you out of here okay? I'll get all of you out of here!" he said.

"Hey, I'm sure this is a heartfelt reunion, but we're deep in enemy territory, we've got a fucking target to handle!" Mine said, glancing into the doorway.

"Just give me a second alright?" he asked, setting the other girls free.

"Zack, I've been around this place hundreds of times. I need you to take me to my room so I can get dressed. We're not the only girls here, there's thirty five of us total, and twenty boys." Hilda said, earning a nod from the boy.

"Fine, but we need to make it snappy. How many people usually hang around here?" he said, wiping the last tears away from his eyes.

"There are at least thirty, all of them being security, some staff members and four are personal guards to the son of a bitch who runs this joint." she replied.

"Okay then, let's get out of here." he said. He grabbed the discarded gun, handing it to Hilda as he reloaded his own, placing it in his holster.

"Zack, there's so much you need to know." Hilda said, earning a nod from the boy.

"All in due time, we need to get you and these girls out of here first." he said, leading her toward the other room. He knelt down in front of the woman he had killed, taking back his Platinum coin. Hilda didn't seem bothered by the body, but the other girls clearly weren't ready to see that.

"We're taking too long here, they'll most likely think we're doing something else." Tatsumi said.

"Then we'll just have to hurry it up. I think this would count as a pinch right?" he asked, earning a nod from Mine.

"Definitely...but we have to kill the guards out front, they've already seen our faces so we need to get rid of them." she said.

"If I may interject, when I was captured two years ago, the Head security guard took my teigu, if I can get it back I can fight." Hilda said.

"A teigu? What kind was it?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"It was a ring. The Telekinetic Ring of the Pharaoh: Ramses. It allows me to use telekinetic powers which I can control with my mind." the brunette said.

"Well...I didn't peg you to wear jewelry...how did you even find that?" Zack asked.

"It was given to me by my captain. I'm part of the Revolutionary Army after all." she said, earning a wide eyed look from the assassins.


	8. Kill the Nobleman

**A/N:**

 **Hey everyone, Celestial here! I'm here bringing you a brand new chapter of Akame Ga Kill-Blood Rain. This is gonna be quite a lengthy chapter, and will cover an original mission, which would be the continuation of last chapter's mission. You all get to see just how fucked up Hilda can be. She's Zack's twin sister and she has been through some shit, so expect her to be just as brutal if not more brutal than her older sibling. She knows what she's doing and has had formal training just like him, and has a cool Teigu to boot.**

 **Her teigu is actually based on a Shen Gong Wu from Xiaolin Showdown, the Ruby of Ramses which gave the user the power of telekinesis. With this teigu she is able to lift large heavy objects with little strain and can even fly through the air for short periods of time. She can even break apart stone and use her teigu to make them into deadly projectiles. It was originally a ring belonging to one of the first Emperor's most trusted friends, and was passed down as an heirloom until it was taken from the noble family it belonged to. It someone ended in the hands of the Rebel Army, and finally in Hilda's hands.**

 **If you have any more questions about original teigus or Shingu, don't hesitate to ask me...I've already covered most of the main ones, but if you want to know more, I'm always available, and if you have ideas for teigu, please let me know, they are always appreciated. I was thinking of actually making more teigu that surpass the known 48, and would be teigu that were hidden away and used only for emergencies, and were brought out during the war, but all of them were lost and never documented. The same goes for Shingu, which are the lesser version of Teigu.**

 **So, I hope you like this chapter, let me know how you like the brutal moments...let's just say, Hilda does not like rapists, she does not like them at all...**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 8

Kill the Nobleman

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City, Orphanage xxx**_

Zack waited for a few seconds, waiting for one of the guards to pass by the room they were at. He slowly opened the door and grabbed a hold of the man, who let out a gasp, only to have his neck snapped a second later. He was slowly set down on the ground, and his firearm had gotten stolen. He handed it over to the second oldest girl in the group, who was going to stay behind to keep an eye on the other girls. Zack looked around the opposite hallway, finding it completely empty. With a nod, his sister and his friends left the room which was locked right after.

"Alright Hil, tell me where." the boy said.

"This way, all of us are chained and dragged around, but the dormitories are this way." she said softly, taking the lead with her brother. Tatsumi cleared his throat, trying not to look at his friend's sister, who was still wearing a skimpy white bikini.

"Hilda, how were you captured?" he asked softly.

"Tatsumi right?" the girl asked, earning a nod from the boy. She let out a sigh, holding her gun tightly in her hands.

"After that Incineration Squad torched our village, I was taken in by some guy from the Imperial Army. A few other children were taken too, but they managed to break free. I waited until the guard was asleep and I choked him to death with my chains. I took the keys and his sword and ran off. I wondered around for a few years before being found by a Captain of the Revolutionary Army." she said.

"Who exactly?" Mine asked softly.

"He was a guy from the north...what was his name again? It doesn't matter, all I know is that he was known as the Hero of the North. He took me back to camp and his friends trained me in sword fighting. When I made Sargent, he gave me that ring Teigu as a gift and sent me on a mission to tell General Najenda something. I was intercepted by that noble and kidnapped...I've been here ever since." she said.

"The bastard...I'm gonna love slicing him in half with my fuckin scythe...especially for putting my baby sister through hell." Zack said, taking a hold of his twin's hand.

"I'm not a baby anymore Zack, I can defend myself. Trust me, being raped on a daily basis isn't fun, but at least I'm alive. Some of the other girls weren't so lucky...I was just biding my time until I could make my escape." she said.

"You're strong Hilda...being put through something so horrible and still being able to move forward. I don't think I could do that." Tatsumi said. She gave him a smile.

"It's all in the head Tatsumi. Fate is a fickle bitch, same as Lady Luck...that's why I make my own luck." she said happily. They arrived at another hallway, and came to a stop. Zack peeked around the corner seeing two guards standing in front of a door that read "Dormitories". He took a deep breath and walked around the corner, running right at the men, firing at them. Taken by surprise, the could do nothing but succumb to the silent gunfire.

He grabbed the keys and spare ammunition from the corpses, and opened the door, letting his friends walk into the next area first. Mine rose her rifle to her shoulder, peeking through the scope as she lined her shot. A bald man walked around the corner, holding a rifle in his hands. She pulled the trigger, nailing him right through the heart. He fell back with a thud, lying on the ground unmoving. Tatsumi drew his sword, grabbing another man by the collar, driving his sword straight through him.

"You guys are good, you trained?" Hilda asked, grabbing the rifle from the other man, placing the pistol in her underwear.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Zack said with a smirk. They continued walking down the hallway, taking out another man who was guarding another locked door. Hilda moved toward the end of the hallway, shooting the lock on the door, kicking it open.

"Damn." Tatsumi muttered.

"Looks like your sister has some tricks up her sleeve." Mine said.

"Well, those are tricks I have yet to see, seeing as I haven't seen her since we were twelve." he said, walking toward the now open room.

"Don't come in, I'm changing!" she exclaimed, causing the three to stop.

"We'll uh...wait out here." Zack replied, pressing his back against the wall.

"Hey Hilda, where does that door lead to?" Mine asked, glancing at the door which was decorated with blood.

"Oh, that door leads to the bidding room. Some of the girls here are bartered and traded to lots of disgusting men and women. I've been dying to torch that place since I got here." she said, a loud zip filling the room right after.

"I'm glad you weren't sold Hilda. I'm not sure Zack would have found you if you had." Tatsumi said cheerfully.

"That's because I told them not to sell me. I told them that I could rake in the money if they left me a virgin. Had them all fooled, told them a virgin girl is worth twice as much as the others...that didn't stop them from selling the eleven year olds off to the highest bidder. One girl ended up hanging herself in her room, we've...lost quite a few here." she said, her tone becoming melancholy.

"We'll save them...all of them, I promise sis." Zack said. Hilda walked out a second later, a smile on her face.

"You better." she said.

Hilda looked vastly different than before, wearing a beautiful pinkish lavender dress, which was completely sleeveless. She was wearing a pink corset over it, which doubled as armor due to the thick leather that made it up. She wore a bright pink half cloak, which faded into a soft creamy white at the hem. Underneath, she was wearing a pair of light purple shorts, barely visible due to the decorative loin cloth she wore, which had a beautiful flower etched onto it. She was also wearing a pair of black thigh high stockings, lined with brilliant gold at the edges. The half cloak itself had stained glass designs on it, which were also sown in with gold thread. Overall, she looked almost like a princess.

"Hilda, that outfit is beautiful." Zack said, earning a giggle from his sister.

"I thought you'd say that. The captain gave me this before he sent me on my way, he said that when the time was right, I could wear this dress into battle. I always carried it around, and I convinced that bitch to let me keep it. However, we need to head to the armory for my armor...I won't be able to fight without it."

"God were wasting time here, we need to hurry and get to the noblemen, before something happens!" Mine said.

"Freeing the captives is a priority, and so is eliminating the guards so they don't alert our targets...we've already cleared this entire wing, so we should be good, now we have to heard the east wing and clear it out. Thankfully the armory is located there." Hilda said, walking toward the end of the hall, back the way they came.

They moved stealthily back toward the front of the orphanage, passing through the foyer. They ended up slaying a secretary which was about to sound the alarm. Tatsumi was able to slice her arm off before she could ring it, and she had been swiftly put down by Hilda who shot her clean through the head. They had taken out the guards outside as well, the commotion having attracting them inside. They moved toward the east wing, finding it completely darkened.

"They don't like to advertise this area. Sometimes teenagers come here to get high and lose their way." Hilda said, earning nods from the others.

Zack slowly crept alongside the wall, turning into the next hallway, finding a bunch of doors, just like the dormitory area. He drove his hidden blade into the neck of a guard, using him as a shield as the second one opened fire. Tatsumi dashed in, slicing his head off his shoulders. He grimaced a bit, cleaning the blood from his sword. Mine and Hilda moved past the deceased men, checking the hallway next to them, though thankfully, both were clear.

"Anything important down here?" the pinkette asked.

"I don't think so. I think the lab where they cook the shit they sell is this way, but they don't cook at night, so the place isn't that guarded." the brunette said. They kept walking down the hallway, reaching another set of double doors.

Zack and Hilda nodded to each other, drop kicking the doors open. They quickly ran in, staying back to back as they aimed their guns in all directions. All around them, weapons could be seen. There were rifles placed in racks, loaded and ready to be used. There were shotguns, handguns, swords, various ammo crates and other things. Hilda continued moving forward, looking around for her armor, which was nowhere in sight. She frowned, walking over to one of the crates. She opened it with a knife she had grabbed, looking inside.

"Do you know if it's here?" Mine asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I know it's here. They had me model it for a few fuckers that wanted a night with me...they made me wear it with nothing underneath." she said. Zack growled angrily, causing the girl to look at him,

"It's alright big brother, I'm fine. Those were dark times, but I held it all in, because I knew that I would get freed one day. Now I can take my anger out on this rotten empire." she said. She grabbed another create, throwing it open. She smiled brightly.

"Yes, I found it. Give me a second while I put it on." she said, pulling out a beautiful golden breast plate. It was faded around the edges, a wing like design around the top of it. There were a few other designs engraved into it. She slipped it on around the top of her dress, putting it in place.

"Here, I'll help you." Zack said, holstering his gun as his sister turned around. He pulled the thick leather laces, trying them as tightly as he could, without causing her much pain. She reached inside the crate, pulling out a matching set of shoulder guards, which he helped her put on.

"That's a nice set of armor...this Hero of the North has good taste." Mine said, earning a smile from Hilda.

"Thank you, he said I was an angel and I need to have a set of armor that showed the people that. He said that I would be the angel that would set the empire free...I don't know what became of him. I've heard the northern frontier was in the middle of a faction war with the empire, I hope he's alright."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine." Zack said, placing the waist guards around her waist, placing them firmly on. They were bright gold in color, with various swirling designs on them, along with the signature angelic look. Hilda grabbed another piece of armor, attaching it to her shoulder guards and her breast plate. It bore the crest of the revolution, an Eagle spreading it's wings, about to take flight.

"Hurry it up, we're gonna draw overtime at this rate!" Mine said.

"Sheesh, we're almost done, all I need is my arm guards and my graves and we can go!" Hilda hissed, grabbing the long golden metal boots from within the create. She slipped her feet inside, securing them onto her legs as snugly as she could, once done, she grabbed the arm guards and placed them on.

"There, we can go...oh wait...I can't leave without my sword." she said, grabbing a rapier from the sword rack. It had a golden sheathe, with her name etched into it in bright glittering rubies. She slipped it into the small loop at her waist, grabbing her pistol. She nodded to her brother who lead them out of the armory.

They moved back toward the foyer, doing down the main hallway first. They cleared out the kitchen area, silently taking down all of the workers. Zack had said at first that they were innocent, but when Hilda told him they were responsible for poisoning some of the kids, he knew he had to take them down. Once the bottom floor had been cleared, they moved up to the second floor, where the boy's dormitories were located.

They took out the guard from the eastern hallway, heading down toward the double doors with the name "Boys Dormitories" written on it. With a firm kick, the doors flew open.

"What the hell?" one of the guards cried.

"Take this!" Mine cried, pulling the trigger of her Imperial Arm. The two men cried in agony as the light pierced their chests, killing them instantly. Hilda moved swiftly through the hallway, drawing her rapier as she moved. One guy came running forward, and she drew the sword the rest of the way, slicing his throat open.

She looked around for a few seconds, before moving toward one of the doors, kicking it open. A yelp was heard inside, as the brunette strode in, sheathing her sword.

"Tom, get your ass up, we're leaving." She said.

"Huh? Hil...what the fuck?" the boy known as Tom said, shooting to his feet. He turned his light on, eyes widening when he saw her in full armor.

"Where did you get that?" the boy said with a yawn.

"No time, I need you to free the other boys and take them to the girls dorm, Anna Maria is waiting for you there. Knock three times, pause, knock twice, and then say Nevermore, she'll let you in." she replied, handing the boy a rifle. He nodded, putting on his shirt and shoes.

"Alright, now we can get the prize." the brunette said, licking her lips as she lead the assassins toward the top floor.

The man grinned as he looked around his office, seeing the stacks of coins glittering in the light. He nodded to his associates, a smirk on his face, his dirty mattered hair sticking to his forehead. He was wearing a pressed suit, and a bright colored tie. He had a bottle of gin next to him, a glass half full of the alcohol.

"Gentlemen, we've made profits tonight. We sold all of the merchandise we created and were able to make a killing. Not to mansion, those twelve year olds got us a lot of good money." he said.

"Indeed, this was a very good investment Roy. A brothel and drug factory masking as an orphanage, and the Empire thinks were doing the right thing...what a laugh." the second man said, sipping his drink.

"Yes...but I've got a question for you Roy...how much are you willing to sell that brunette for?" the third man asked, earning a smirk from Roy.

"Which one Gregory, I've got plenty of brunettes."

"You know which one I mean, the virgin...the one everyone's dying for. Come on, let me be the one to deflower her...she's gotta be super tight, and I'm not getting any younger." Greg said.

"Do you have a thousand platinum? Because that's what I'm selling her for. It's hard to find virgins in the business, and hiring goons to find them is never a good idea. They always get here all manhandled and gross." Roy said.

"Good pussy is hard to find, even harder to find pussy like her. The guys love a girl that can put up a fight, but anal isn't going it anymore...I've got a guy willing to pay five hundred platinum, can't you let her go for that?"

"I told you Frank, she isn't going for anything less than a thousand. Unless there's a higher bidder, there's no way in hell she's getting out of here for less."

"How about I get out of here for free?" a voice cried loudly. The doors flew open a second later, gunshots filling the room. Greg and Frank scrambled to their feet, quickly finding cover. Roy did the same, hiding underneath his desk.

"What the hell?" Frank cried, eyes widening as he stared at the girl he had been talking about.

He grabbed his gun, attempting to fire at her, only to have his hand sliced clean off by Tatsumi. The man grabbed his now missing limb, crying in pain. The boy grabbed the man by his hair, throwing him to the floor, next to Greg who was being held at gunpoint by Mine.

"Gregory Marqui, Franklin Pierce, Roy Masyief, all three of you are sentenced to death for your crimes against the Empire. Drug trafficking, kidnapping, underage sexual assault, prostitution, to name a few." Zack said, pulling out his teigu.

"What is this...no...you guys are part of Night Raid aren't you?" Roy asked, glaring at the four of them.

"We are...and now it's time for you to pay your dues." Mine said. Greg let out a scream as she fired into his chest. Tatsumi stabbed Frank right through the head, twisting his sword. Zack walked forward, slicing the desk Roy hid behind with ease. The man stood up, backing away from him.

"Whoa man, it's alright. You can have the bitch, take her she's all yours."

"That "bitch" happens to be my little sister...you aren't free of sin, you aren't free of what you have done, for violating her innocence and selling her to the highest bidder. You are not getting away from your fate." he said, slamming his fist into the man's chest.

Zack pulled his fist back, punching the man in the face. He grabbed him by the throat, punching him again and again. The man cried in pain, tears falling down his cheeks from the pain. He slammed his head into the wall, uppercutting him in the chin. He fell to the ground, clutching his face. Zack pulled his foot back, kicking him hard in the ribs. He kicked him again and again, hearing a loud crack after the fifth kick. He grabbed the man by his upper jaw, pulling him from around the desk, throwing him into the center of the room.

"Hilda, he's all yours." Zack said. The girl nodded, cracking her hands. She placed her foot on his chest, a smirk on her face.

"So, remember that time when I was fifteen and I said was going to beat you until you pissed blood? Well, it's time for me to collect." she said.

"N-no please...I've got a wife...a daughter...just...take my money...and the kids...and go." the man said.

"You don't get to bribe us!" Hilda shouted, kicking the man in the jaw, sending blood and teeth in all directions. She knelt down before him, grabbing a hold of his genitals in her hand, squeezing them tightly.

"You don't get to bribe me...after the shit that I went through...getting fucked in the ass every day, being slapped, forced to do disgusting horrible things, just for your sick kicks...you are lucky I am not a vengeful person, or I would force your daughter to face what I felt in this prison...I'm going to rip your nuts off, and I'm going to make you eat them." she said, giving his genitals a firm twist. The man screamed in agony, reaching for her hand.

"Zack, break his arms." the brunette said.

"Just kill him, torture isn't what we do." Tatsumi said.

"If you want to go, then go...we're not done with this asshole." Zack said, slamming his foot into the man's elbow, a loud crack filling the room. The brown haired boy decided to leave the room, while Mine just watched on, an odd sense of satisfaction on her face.

The twins continued beating the man, his cries of pain filling the room for a few minutes. Finally, after Hilda had her fun, she hoisted the man up to the wall, stabbing a knife through the palm of his hand. She did the same with his right hand, successfully pinning him to the wall. The man just looked at her, his face swollen and unrecognizable. She pulled his pants down, a smirk on her face as she forcefully spread his legs.

"History will look back on this Empire as a disgusting place, all thanks to people like you. Your daughter most likely thinks you are a wonderful man, but she's going to grow up, knowing how sick and disgusting you truly are." she said, grabbing the sheathed sword from the top of the desk.

"Please...just...kill...me." the man gurgled, spitting blood onto the wall.

"Ah yes, the sweet release of death...you'll get yours...but it will be a slow and painful one. I hope you enjoy this, it's gonna be the best fuck you will ever have." she said, drawing the sword from the scabbard. The man let out a violent scream as she drove the sword right up his rectum, all the way to the hilt. A torrent of blood spilled onto the floor, the man's cries filling the room.

"Let's go, our work is done here." she said, grabbing the bags of money from the desk. Zack spat on the man's face, watching the last of his life fade from his eyes.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled." he said, leaving the room.

They walked down to the foyer, meeting the rest of the children, most of them being armed with swords, rifles or shotguns. Hilda placed the bags of platinum and golden coins in front of them, giving them a smile.

"You're all free, use this money to get out of here. Head to Veronica, you'll be safe there." she said.

"We heard screaming, what happened to Roy?" Tom asked, earning a smile from Hilda, who placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a warm smile.

"I fucked him...I fucked him really good. Let's go, while the cover of night is with us...run south, and don't stop until you hit the border, there will be someone waiting for you there." she said, earning nods from the children. All of them took handfuls of the golden and platinum coins, dashing out of the orphanage into the night.

"Will you be alright Hilda?" Tom asked, earning a nod from the brunette.

"I'll be fine...I'm part of Night Raid now, no one is going to hurt you anymore, I assure you. Go, may we meet again." she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled, grabbing the last of the platinum, disappearing into the night.

"Did you get your teigu back?" Tatsumi asked, earning a nod from the brunette, who held her hand out. On her ring finger was a beautiful sterling silver ring, with a glowing ruby centered onto it. It had an eye etched into it, which was glowing a bright blue.

"This is it, Ramses, the telekinetic ring...I would show you what I can do with it, but we're pressed for time. Let's get out of here, before it gets too late." she said. Zack nodded, walking out of the building...he looked around for a few seconds, giving his friends a nod.

They continued walking through the plaza, leaving through the alleyway into the now empty street. They waited for some guards on horseback to ride by, before dashing into the open street, using the shadows to stay hidden. They continued doing this until they made it to the northern exit of the city, dashing into the woods.

"So, how are we going to explain this to the boss?" Tatsumi asked, glancing at Hilda who had her arms crossed. They had made it a good ways away from the city, cutting through the woods as they headed toward the base.

"I'll handle it. She's my twin so I have to take responsibility for it, besides she's a Sargent so Najenda will understand." Zack said with a smile.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

"Why is it that whenever Zack is on a mission, he comes back with someone new?" Lubbock asked, yawning a bit as he rubbed his eyes. He was the only one currently awake since it was past two in the morning. Najenda smirked a bit as she leaned forward in her seat.

"I hadn't expected the missing Sargent of the north to be Hilda Wayne, your missing sister. It's funny how life works isn't it?" she asked, puffing her cigarette.

"General, I've heard so much about you. I'm sorry, due to my own carelessness, I was never able to bring you the news about the North's possible subjugation. Now the Empire is at war, when we could have prevented it." Hilda said, bowing her head in shame.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault sis...that noble dick hole kidnapped you, so it was out of your hands." Zack said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Your brother is right...even if you had delivered that information, nothing could have been done. We were spread too thin back then, and we didn't have as many soldiers as we have now. Still, I am glad to see that you are indeed alive. Captain Numa said quite a lot about you." she said.

"Thank you ma'am. I did my best to train while being a captive, it was a bit hard, but I was able to sneak into the armory every once and awhile. But now that orphanage is gone, and so is Nobleman Roy Masyief." she said.

"Are you sure? Did you check to see if it was truly him?" the gray haired woman asked.

"Oh yeah, it was them alright. Hilda and Zack beat the hell out of him, but she had her just desserts, ended up driving a sword right up his ass." Mine said, a smile on her face.

"Ow...why?" Lubbock said, not wanting to imagine that.

"Because I was a sex slave while in that orphanage...all of his friends raped me in the ass every night, so I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. Najenda, if you allow me, I wish to join Night Raid, I want to free this world of evil."

"Hmm...are you sure about that Sargent? Do you want to risk your life, knowing full well that you could die on the job?" Najenda said.

"Of course, dying is part of the job...but there's no way in hell I'm gonna allow myself to die. Not after all my suffering, besides I made a mental note of every man that thought it would be fun to fuck me. So I want to find them all and kill them, I need to avenge the little girls that died because of them." she said.

"Sis, if you join Night Raid, there's no going back...there's no quitting." Zack said, earning a nod from his sister.

"That's alright...as long as I get to be with you, everything will be worth it. Someone's gotta keep your ass from dying." she said, giving him a cheeky grin. He pouted, glaring at his sister.

"Hilda! I already have someone watching out for me, it's way more embarrassing if my sister protects me. I'm the older brother here, I have to protect you!" he said.

"Nope! Besides, girls are stronger than boys, we deal with a lot more shit anyway." she said.

"Well then, if you truly wish to join Night Raid, then we accept you as a full member. Welcome Hilda, to hell on earth!" Najenda said, earning a smile from the girl who shook the metal limb.

"Thanks for having me General." she said.

"Now then, get some rest...Zack we've run out of spare rooms due to the new members, since she's your sister she'll have to bunk with you."

"That's fine boss...I don't mind sharing my room. I'll clear some space tomorrow and find a spare mattress for her to use. Right now, I need some sleep." he said, stretching his limbs.

"Right right...go on, I've got a report to write. Thanks for successfully completing your mission, for coming back in one piece, and for bringing back a lost comrade." Najenda said, wishing them a good night.

"Poor girl...she's had quite a rough life...but being a Sargent is good, she'll keep everyone in line around here." Lubbock said.

"If you say so. You should get some sleep too, you've been working just as hard as everyone else, and we need you well rested, just in case." she said, earning a nod from the boy.

"Well this is it...not much in here, other than a bed, my work desk and my closet. That door leads to my personal bathroom." the boy said, earning a nod from his sister.

"Thank you big brother, for finally setting me free...I always wished I could see you again. I kept wishing and wishing, and my wishing star finally brought me to you." she said softly, hugging the boy tightly.

"This is so surreal. I've dreamed of hugging you, of touching your skin again, feeling your hair...holding you in my arms. After mom and dad passed on...I just didn't think straight. You were the only thing left in my life, and I had lost you...I'm sorry, for not being there for you when you needed me the most." he said, tears falling from his eyes.

"Don't cry...don't cry for me...I'm right here, I'm real! I'm not going away." she said, wiping his tears away. He nodded, sniffling a bit.

"You're right...I'm being silly for crying." he said. He took his cloak off, placing it on the rack near the entrance of the room. Hilda took her greaves off, placing them next to her brother's boots. She started pulling off her waist guards, placing them on top of the desk.

"Um...I don't have any spare clothes for you to wear...I'll speak with Akame and Sheele tomorrow, they look about your size." he said, handing her a tank top and a pair of his boxer shorts.

"It's fine...I usually got thrown into my room naked, so I got used to not wearing anything." the girl said, placing her shoulder guards on the table. She untied her chest plate, placing it with the rest of her armor, undoing the lace of her loin cloth, and the belt holding her waist coat in place.

"Sis...wouldn't you feel more comfortable changing in the bathroom?" the boy asked.

"I'm indifferent...sorry big brother...I got used to this lifestyle...I wouldn't wear much, and after awhile I just got used to taking my clothes off in front of men." she said. She sighed, opening the bathroom door.

"I'll change in here if it bothers you...I'll take a shower while I'm at it...I didn't get to after my usual customer earlier tonight." she said, closing the door right after.

" _Hilda...you've been though so much already...yet you continue on, you don't even let it bother you...I wish I could be that strong. Killing people doesn't bother me, but there's a lot of sick shit in this world that I hate seeing...I'm just glad I found you before it was too late."_ he thought.

Hilda sighed, lowering herself into the hot water she had drawn. She felt her muscles loosening up a bit. She looked around the small room, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She grabbed some of her brother's soap, dumping it into the water until it started foaming. She started scrubbing her skin, until it was almost raw. She grit her teeth, bowing her head a bit as hot tears fell into the water.

" _I...can't believe it...I'm finally free...after so long...I find my brother, and killed the fucker responsible for everything...but I feel so dirty...I feel like a used up rag...how can I face the world like that? I put on a tough mask and for what? I'm just a weak little girl!"_ she shouted in her mind. She took a deep breath, lowering herself deeper into the tub. She started washing her hair, getting all of the dirt and grime off of it.

"Hey Hilda, I forgot to tell you, the towels are on the bottom shelf under the sink."

"Okay, thanks big brother!" she called back, glancing at the sink.

She continued her bath in silence, washing all of the grime off her body. After draining the tub, she turned the shower on, getting the last of the soap off. Once she was done, she stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel, drying herself off. She wrapped her hair up, slipping the boxer shorts on. She let out a sigh she pulled her hair out of the towel, drying it off.

" _Well, I guess I can put the past behind me. I lived dark times, but there are girls having it worse than me. There are girls that die in that line of living...so it's my duty to set them free. I'm gonna find all of those men and cut their dicks off!"_ she announced proudly. She nodded at her reflection, slipping her new shirt on. She put her stockings back on, heading back into the room.

"Well, are you alright? I know everything that happened must still worry you." Zack said.

"I'm fine. I've decided to put everything behind me...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" she said proudly, a smile on her face.

"You're amazing Hilda...moving on like that takes courage...don't you worry, I don't let anyone hurt you ever again. Now, there isn't another bed in here, so you can take mine. I'll just sleep on the floor." he said, grabbing a spare blanket.

"No big brother, don't make me hit you! We used to share a bed growing up, this will be just like old times! Let's just go to sleep, I'm dead tired." she said, pulling him into the bed, reaching for the lamp which she flicked off.

"If you say so." the boy said, shrugging his shoulders. The two of them laid down next to each other, staring at the ceiling.

"I've had dreams of this you know...finally seeing you again, doing something as simple as sleeping together. It's been hell, but I'm glad we found each other...thank you for rescuing me big brother." she said, kissing his cheek.

"It was nothing...you survived because of your own guts...you deserve to be a member of Night Raid, to finally take your vengeance on the fuckers who wronged you...we'll make that happen." he said, wrapping his arms around her. She did the same, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you." she said softly, her eyes slowly closing. He kissed the top of her head, lulling her with a lullaby his mother used to sing them. He heard her whimper quietly, her soft cries filling the room.

 _ **xxx Location: Northern Province xxx**_

Aside from the blistering cold, nothing really seemed to bother Morrison. He was an up and rising knight in the Imperial Guard, was good with a sword, and did as he was told. He was a young man of nineteen, with short mint green hair and bright colored eyes. He was decked in full armor, and was holding a spear in his hands. He had seen quite a lot of things, but nothing like what he had witnessed these last few days.

He and his regimen had been sent out to handle the tribes of the north. Some prince had been causing a stir, and it was up to them to subjugate the area for the Empire. Simple enough, he mused. He had done this sort of thing before. But it had proven a bit difficult, so the Empire thought it best to send them the best General for the job...that of course had been a young woman by the name of Esdeath.

Long pale blue hair, equally icy blue eyes, pale skin, and a formal outfit that was so tight, her breasts threatened to burst from within. She was a master of the rapier, but she was a cold ruthless woman, who loved nothing more than causing panic, all to satiate her endless love of war. The tribes they had been battling were confident in their abilities, and had killed many men from the Empire's side. That all changed when Esdeath came in and literally froze the entire city.

She killed anyone in her path. Men were buried alive and covered in ice, the women were either forced into slavery or frozen on the spot, and the children...he didn't even want to think of that. All around the frozen city, large pikes had been placed, holding the bodies of those who were still willing to fight, all of them missing limbs or outright frozen on the spot.

Right in front of all of the gathered Imperial Knights, was the prince of the north, having been reduced to nothing more than a spineless dog. Esdeath was sitting before them, cross legged as she tugged on the man's chain, making him lick her boot with ferocity. She said nothing, no one said nothing, and that's how it was. It was a don't ask, don't tell situation, and no one was going to change that. Morrison however was the only Knight that had survived the war, and was tasked with delivering the news. He didn't fear the woman, quite the opposite. He admired her willingness to battle, even if her methods were unorthodox and morally wrong. He cleared his throat, stabbing his spear into the ice beside him.

"Madam Esdeath, reports are coming in from the troops...this entire country has been subjugated. The remaining soldiers were buried alive under your orders, and news is starting to spread about the defeat of the Prince. The remaining nobles wish to seek relations with the Empire." Morrison said, earning a nod from the woman.

"Ugh...are you done yet? This is the so called hero of the north? What a total bore." the woman said, glaring at the panting man. Without hesitation, she kicked the man in the face, so hard that she killed him instantly. Morrison cringed, especially when he saw the blood on her boot.

"Is there seriously no one who can satisfy my thirst for conflict? This pathetic excuse of a man fell faster than his men's morale. Destroy the place, this city doesn't deserve to exist anymore." she said.

"Yes ma'am. You heard her men, destroy this entire village, leave nothing behind, as for the survivors...I'm sure we could use some slaves back home." Morrison said, earning a nod from the soldiers, who all started on their new mission.

"Hmm...I believe I'm through here, it was fun dealing with the north, but I've got things to handle back at the capital...Morrison, you've done quite nicely, how would you like a promotion?" Esdeath said, causing the boy to gasp.

"Madam, are you sure? I don't believe I've earned it." he said bashfully, blushing a bit.

"Nonsense, you have outdone yourself these past few weeks. You tire of being a knight no? Then how about a promotion, I believe the men here would do with a new General, seeing as we lost two in this battle." she said.

"Are you serious? That would be wonderful madam...I don't believe I deserve it." the boy said, dropping to his knee. She smiled, patting his head lovingly.

"You deserve it Morrison...rise, and lead your men...conquer this place for the Empire, and let them know the might of our Kingdom. Don't disappoint me." she said, earning a nod from the boy. She walked off, nodding to her personal escorts who had been waiting closely behind.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Capital: Throne Room xxx**_

"I'm sorry to inform you sire...but it seems General Nakakido and General Hemi have both deserted us. They have joined the rebel army." one of the guards said, causing the Senators to start muttering.

"General Nakakido was a pro at war."

"The rebel army is gaining massive strength."

"If we don't act fast...the kingdom will..."

"Order!" Makoto cried, his voice echoing through the room. Everyone immediately calmed down, staring at their young king.

"The rebel army is far south from us, in the country of our allies, the Principality of Veronica. We can strike them at any time we want, we musn't let their strength be a source of fear toward us!" he said firmly. He glanced toward the minister, a smile on his face.

"Will that do Minister?"

"Yes, that did quite nicely. Rather than worry about the rebel army within another country, we must deal with another thorn in our side...that blasted Night Raid!" the minister said angrily.

"Quite right, they've become quite active as of late. Not only did they strike down that renegade Zank, but they also slayed the Minister's distant relative Iokal. Last night, we received word of Nobleman Roy being their latest victim...his body wasn't in a favorable state when we found him." one of the senators said.

"He had a sword driven right through his rectum, blood everywhere...his friends were also slain in a rather brutal fashion. The poor man was running an orphanage, nothing more nothing less, and these... _monsters_ slew them in cold blood!" another senator said firmly.

"Indeed, this has gone on far too long. Contact General Esdeath who subjugated the Northern Tribes at once! Tell her that her assistance is needed here in the capital." Honest said, causing the men to gasp.

"But sir, we already have Commander-In-Chief Budo. Do we seriously need to bother Esdeath with such a trivial manhut?"

"It is because of Budo's pride that we have to call her in. After all, he isn't going after them. General Esdeath is a hero, who buried 400,000 tribesman alive! She will handle this task quite admirably." Honest said firmly.

"Hmm...General Esdeath would do a nice job...call her at once...let it be known that the manhunt for Night Raid begins with her!" Makoto said firmly.

"Tell our pathetic excuse for a Garrison to buck up and get ready. We're gonna stop at nothing to catch those insurgents!" the man shouted angrily, voice echoing through the halls of the palace.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

Zack had decided to rest for the day. Tatsumi and Leone had asked him to tag along and do some recon in town, but after doing so many missions in such a short period of time, all he wanted to do was to take a break from missions. Sayo and Mine were currently training together, or rather the pinkette was trying to train the archer. Seeing the strain in the ravenette's face was enough for him to see that she was starting to get pissed. However with every shot she took, she got more and more to the center, so she had at the very least improved.

Sayo had decided to add a blade to her black compound bow. It was a rather simple change, one that Bulat had been able to do in a few minutes. The bow wasn't like some of the others he had seen, it was just a black bow with metal risers and two pulleys, with the strongest cord around, adding much more strength to the draw. With the new blade at least, she was able to use it as a sword in case she needed to defend herself in a close quarters situation.

While everyone had been surprised with the new addition, Hilda was welcomed into the group with mostly open arms. Knowing she was Zack's sister quickly put off Lubbock, so he hadn't even tried hitting on her. So far, only Najenda, Lubbock, Tatsumi and Mine knew about her past, and she intended to keep it that way. She didn't want people knowing she had been a sex slave for the past two years. She wanted to use her skills to instill hope in the people, and would do anything she could. To say Captain Woodrow was impressed and surprised was an understatement.

No missions had come in, so the members of Night Raid had nothing to do but continue their daily training routines. Akame was practicing her sword play against a dummy, using a wooden katana, while Bulat continued training his spear techniques. Zack had decided to join the man, finishing up his last set of push ups before grabbing one of the spears, following in the man's footsteps with various beginning techniques. Hilda had decided to watch them, not keen on doing anything.

"Are you finding everything to your liking?"

The girl glanced over her shoulder, noticing Najenda standing behind her, surprisingly not smoking a cigarette. The brunette nodded, deciding to fix her ponytail a bit, since it had loosened up from moving around.

"You're base is well prepared. I took the liberty of checking all of your weapons, it was something I did to keep myself occupied while I was in training in the north." she said firmly.

"I appreciate it...even though we're far away from civilization, that doesn't mean we can't get attacked. Lubbock has a tight defense, but you can't be too lax about it. We had a breach not that long ago." she said.

"Yes, Zack told me all about it this morning, Cross-Tail is an effective Teigu, but I'm working on a tighter defense around the base itself, in case someone or something decided to get in." she said, earning a nod from the woman.

"That is much appreciated. We haven't heard anything from HQ yet, no more missions have been sent our way. I'm quite glad to have so many people working toward freeing this empire. Our small group is becoming a family." Najenda said, earning a smile from the brunette.

"You've done well here ma'am. I heard from Cornelia earlier that it was you who trained Zack to fight, and you gave him his teigu...I'd like to thank you for that. He moved on from what happened and became strong because of it. I on the other hand let my guard down, and was turned into a vile tool." she said.

"None of that is your fault Hilda...you held on, and now that you are free, you can show the Empire just how vengeful a woman can truly be. Someone as strong as you deserves to be here in Night Raid." the woman replied.

"Oh come on big bro, you gotta try harder than that!" Zack cried, standing over Bulat who had just been defeated by the younger man.

"I'll admit, I wasn't giving it my all, but now I won't give up until I defeat you!" the man said, rapidly standing up.

"Bulat let him win. Zack was a bit disappointed after I told him my whole story, not just that...he was disappointed because that girl he likes rejected him indirectly. I'm pretty sure he did that to cheer him up." Hilda said, earning a nod from Najenda, who pulled out her pack of Djarum Blacks from her breast pocket.

"He takes care of all of them, but like the rest of us he's had his share of burdens to face. Keep training, we need to be in top shape for any missions we may be given."

"Yes ma'am. I'll start training my rapier skills right away." the brunette said firmly.

"I'm not a General anymore Hilda, just take it easy, get used to being here." she said.

"Um...alright...sorry." the girl said, flushing a bit.

"No need to be sorry. You're doing just fine, I've got some paperwork to handle, so I'll see you later."

"Oh uh...before you go...can I bum a smoke?" the girl asked, causing the woman to stop. She chuckled, holding the pack out to her.

"Just like your brother." she replied, earning another sheepish smile from the brunette.


	9. Kill the Absolute Justice

**A/N:**

 **I would like to apologize for not posting anything last night. I ended up getting immersed in Danganronpa V3, so I wasn't able to post anything, even though I had some chapters prepared beforehand. I was playing through the prologue and chapter one and am currently in the middle of the class trial, I wasn't able to finish the chapter at all, so I still don't know whodunit! I might be slowing down my posts while I play the game, but I'll make some time to write some new stuff.**

 **I just finished chapter thirteen, by far the hardest chapter...I had to condense three chapters of information into a single chapter, and it was a fucking pain in the ass. It's called Kill the Danger, but it has all of the events from the entirety of Volume 4. Now I know what you are asking, Celestial, why not split the chapter in half and write the events of two chapters in one? Well, to answer the question truthfully, it is a pain in my fucking ass. Why write three chapters covering three chapters of information when you can write one and cover three chapters of information? It makes the story less clunky, and I have time to add in my own dialogue instead of copying down everything from the manga. I want to make it slightly different than normal.**

 **Which is why I like adding all new missions in between key points of the manga. I love exploring this world and seeing just how far I can increase the carnage in it. The Orphanage mission was fun to write, because in this world, I know that Child Slavery is quite common. I wanted to portray a bit of that darkness, while expanding the story a bit. It also gave me the tools I needed to add Hilda into the story, who was going to be added much later, but I felt this was the way to go. She was gonna be a minor character, but has steadily become important as the chapters progress.**

 **This chapter covers the events of the Chapter, Kill the Absolute Justice. I didn't have fun writing this character, not at all. I tried making it light hearted in the beginning, and added an all new key point to it, but the ending still sucks. I didn't like writing Kill the Three Beasts either, because of what happens in that chapter. Even though we lose someone important to Tatsumi during that chapter, I love his first time using Incursio. It's still my favorite teigu in the series, second to Murasame and Pumpkin.**

 **Regardless, I shall leave you with this. I have some chapters prepared in case I don't write anything, but I will do my best to continue regular posting. If not, I apologize...I do love Danganronpa a lot and I've been waiting for this game since Janurary 12, when it was released in Japan. Ironically enough, January 12th is also my mom's birthday, so it made the date even more memorable...anyway, I leave you with the chapter, review and all that good stuff.**

 **If you are a fans of Danganronpa, please check out my friend Scorpio116's story, A New Hope, which is a rewrite of his first story, a New Despair. It's really good so far, but I haven't gotten through it, since I have been quite busy today. Tell him I sent ya over, Bababooey, bababooey!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 9

Kill the Absolute Justice

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City: Slums xxx**_

Tatsumi wasn't one to complain much, not when there were more important things to do. He hadn't been feeling well mentally for while, due to missing his best friend Ieyasu. He had been talking quite a lot with Sayo who also missed him dearly, but even she had found solace in training, something he just couldn't do for himself. When he wasn't on a mission, he was moping around the base. So when Sheele told him the story of how she became an assassin, he reflected quite a bit.

Growing up, the violet haired girl had been a klutz. She hadn't learned anything worthwhile and she always messed everything up. Due to this, she didn't have a single friend, except for one young woman who had decided to befriend her.

They spent a lot of time together, chatting, hanging out and just being with each other. But that all changed when her ex-boyfriend came knocking. The man had been angry at their breakup, and had started choking the girl. So Sheele had grabbed a knife from the kitchen and plunged it into his throat. He he lost his life, and she had lost her best and only friend. Soon, the man's friends came looking for her, a revenge mission for their fallen leader. They had killed her parents, and she did nothing but get even, by killing them all.

She wasn't good at anything, but she had finally found something she was good at, killing. She used those talents to get into the Revolutionary Army, and eventually was assigned to Night Raid, the same day as Mine. They had been best friends since then, and even though she was a bit forgetful, she was a good friend, and that was something she could always be. So Tatsumi had decided to kick himself in the ass, and let Ieyasu rest. He was going to become stronger for him, for Sayo and for all of his friends.

Which is why he decided to head into the city with Leone. It didn't take him long to see why the blonde was so popular in this area of the city. The slums were filled with poor people, but they were all more honest then the ones that lived in the richer parts of the city. Leone had also told him that she had actually been born there. All of the children she had bought medicine for wanted to play with her, all of the elders wanted her to help them out with their stands, and all of the people fro the bar wanted her to pay her tabs.

It was the reason why he now found himself alone, wondering around the slums trying to find the blonde. They had been given a task of doing recon, and had already failed due to her own fault. But he didn't blame Leone, he blamed himself for not paying attention. However he wasn't going to look at the glass as half empty. He just needed to head back to the Main Street, and start heading toward their new target's location.

He and Leone had been given a mission, to take out some drug dealers who were running a prostitution ring in the Red Light District. Tatsumi had been disappointed to hear that more drug dealers were running amok in the city, but Hilda had told him that there was an abundance of them in the capital, all of them connected to the noble they had already slain. If they wanted to take out the head honcho behind the entire operation, they had to make him come out, and he would only do that if they eliminated the guys pushing his stuff.

Apparently, these two men ran a prostitution ring by drugging the girls they kidnapped from the Slums. They got highly addicted to the narcotic and always wanted more, and if they needed more, they had to work, by satisfying whatever deranged bastard walked through those doors. That had been enough for Tatsumi to act. That's what lead him and Leone to come to the Slums in the first place, to ask around to see just who was missing, but of course being chased by pissed off bar owners wasn't a good way to start.

He tried not to look nervous, but come on...a country bumpkin getting lost in the Slums of all places? It wasn't a good thing for him to be alone. Not because he was scared of being caught, but because he was scared of something happening to him. He knew how to defend himself, but with the increasing amount of Imperial Guards, one couldn't exactly relax. He knew it was because of Night Raid and their recent activity, so he had to be careful of how he handled himself.

"Goddamn it! I just had to come here with Leone didn't I? That idiot, doesn't she know we have some serious shit to handle!" he cried out in annoyance. The people didn't listen to him, and if they did they didn't care. He growled under his breath, brushing some dust off his cloak.

A nearby guard however had been watching the boy, an amused smile on her face. She was a beautiful young woman, twenty two years old and fresh out of training. She was wearing a polished set of armor, with a bright green turtle neck underneath it. She wore a matching skirt, which was black and green, long black stockings and armored boots. Her long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and dragging on the ground behind her was a small dog like creature.

" _That young man needs assistance! I need to help him out!"_

"Ugh...when I find Leone I'm gonna wring her neck, before she can bury my face in those tumors of hers." Tatsumi muttered.

"Excuse me young man! Do you need some assistance?" a voice called out, causing him to stop. He glanced at the young woman, a frown on his face.

" _Imperial Police? She must be from the capital's Garrison."_ he thought to himself.

"Uh...sure I guess...I need to find my way back to the main street...if you could lead me there, that would be great." he said.

"Sure thing, an agent of justice never leads the little people behind! My name is Seryu Ubiquitous, I fight for justice!" she cried.

"Ahuh...I'm sure you said that before." Tatsumi said, a frown on his face. He glanced down at the dog, who was whining loudly. Seryu knelt down next to it, patting its head.

"What's wrong Koro? You hungry?" she asked softly, earning a whine from the pooch. Tatsumi bit his lip.

" _Doesn't Koro mean kill?"_ he thought to himself.

"Don't worry, just a little longer, when we get back I'll treat you to dinner. How do seven convicted felons sound?" she asked, earning a slight nod from the creature. Tatsumi swallowed hard, trying not to show his disgust toward it.

"Oh my mistake, I'd like to introduce you to my partner Koro. He's also an ally of justice!" the girl said, picking the dog up into her hands.

"Really? I feel like I've seen this dog before." Tatsumi said out loud. He remembered the teigu book he and Sayo had been looking at, and remembered seeing a drawing of it on one of the pages. He just didn't remember the name.

"This is the teigu Hecatoncheir, he's a special weapon made by the first Emperor!" she said excitedly.

"Really? I've heard legends about those things, but I didn't think they were real. So...do other officers get those or not?"

"No...Koro was asleep for a long time. The only reason I'm allowed to have him is because he sensed my justice! So they allowed me to keep him as a partner. I had to go through a full body examination, but it was worth it. Justice can never have too many allies!" she said cheerfully.

" _If I had a fifth of vodka and took a shot every time she said the word justice, I would be piss drunk right now."_ the boy thought sarcastically.

"T-that is true...I'm surprised to see a young woman like you in the Garrison. Usually, men are the ones who join, mostly for the money." the boy said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Well, the only reason I'm in the Garrison is because my father was also in the Imperial Police. He died in the line of duty, and my mother was murdered...so I decided to dedicate myself to Justice! But then...those bastards from Night Raid killed the only other person that cared for me! Captain Ogre, the man who I saw as a second father!" she cried angrily. Tatsumi swallowed hard.

" _Shit..I didn't think this girl knew that bastard...I damn went and sliced his arms off. I don't like how that dog is looking at me."_ he thought to himself.

"That's...a shame. I've heard Night Raid is a group of vile assassins, killing people left and right."

"Yes they are...they are a blemish on the name of Justice, they need to be brought down, and dismembered one by one. For killing Captain Ogre, and for killing that nice man that ran the orphanage!" Seryu said, growling angrily.

"I'm sorry to hear that...I'm sure those orphans miss him dearly. We need more good kindhearted people like that." he said.

"That's the thing, those ungrateful little kids ran off with all his money. Night Raid did the killing, and they took off into the night. All of them need to pay for their crimes and be brought to..."

"Justice, yes I know." the boy said, pursing his lips a bit.

"I'm sorry...I've been told I say that word quite a lot...I'm sure if you had a fifth of vodka and took a drink every time I said Justice, you'd be piss drunk by now." she said cheerfully. Tatsumi forced a laugh, suddenly wishing he had a fifth of vodka. Smashing it over Seryu's head would be a great way to relieve stress.

"Whelp, here we are...Main Street...if you ever get lost again, don't be scared to talk to any of the Garrison officers! Or find me, I'll help you out, I've lived in this city all my life!" she said.

"Okay, I'll keep my eye out then. Thank you for bringing me here, and remember, Justice Rains from Above!" he said, giving her a salute as he walked down the street.

"It feels good to do your part doesn't it Koro? But now I can focus on my search, I'm not gonna stop until I kill every member of Night Raid!" she muttered under her breath, running down the opposite street. Koro could only whine as he bounced off the cobblestone ground.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City: Market District xxx**_

"Surprise missions definitely are the spice of life." Zack said cheerfully, standing on the roof of a house in the market district. Cornelia was leaning up against a brick chimney, which was churning out white smoke into the night, by now, half of not all of the shops had closed for the night.

"Get real, you never have time to prepare for surprise missions. Thankfully, all I have to do is grab King and go." the blonde said.

"Same here, I wear my armor all day for such occasions." Hilda added, glancing around the area.

Tatsumi and Leone had been tasked with handling drug dealers in the Red Light District. Akame, Lubbock and Sayo had been tasked with taking care some rogue Garrison officers abusing their power and stealing from businesses, Mine and Sheele had been tasked with taking care of a few noblemen who were getting too greedy, and Bulat was tasked with the destruction of evidence which could prove detrimental to Night Raid.

Not wanting to be left behind, Hilda had decided to go on a personal mission. Before they had left the Orphanage a few nights prior, the brunette had gotten a hold of a lot of information, including the locations of various children that had been sold to people around the capital. Two had been sold to the same business in the market district, and had been used as slaves for the shop owners. While they were all smiles during the day, they became horrible people at night. It made sense to Zack now, why the shop had been making so many more pastries than normal.

The brunette, albeit rusty, decided she needed to take care of this personally. So once she had gotten approval from Najenda, they raced into the night, quickly reaching the capital in a manner of minutes, thanks to Hilda's teigu, they had been able to literally fly there, though it did make her extremely tired and was forced to rest for two hours before they moved on with their mission, something that had upset Cornelia a lot, due to her being wanted.

"The street is still relatively full...what do we do?" Zack asked, glancing at his sister, who looked at the map she had stolen from Roy. She had circled all of the locations of the dwellings the children lived in, along with some locations of the men that had violated her while she had been trapped.

"We stick to the rooftops as much as possible. Don't worry about crossing the streets or jumping, I can ferry you across. Come on." she said, folding the map in half. She placed it underneath her chest plate, and broke into a sprint, running across the roof tops.

They moved as quietly as they could, not wanting to attract too much attention. Reaching the street corner, Hilda rose her arm up, the ruby of her ring glowing brilliantly. She pointed her finger toward the other side of the street, and they slowly but surely floated over to it, high above the crowd of people who didn't even bat an eye at them. In fact, no one had noticed them at all. She panted a bit from the strain, but the feeling passed as they continued moving.

"You okay sis?" Zack asked softly.

"I'm fine. Carrying all three of us is a bit hard on the stamina, but I worked out daily while in captivity, it's just been awhile since I've used this ring." she said, earning nods from the two.

"So, what did these fuckers do that has your sister so pissed?" Cornelia asked watching the brunette walking across the rooftops. They were all thankful that they were flat, at least.

"The orphanage she was at treated all of the kids as slaves. They would use the kids to sell the drugs, some were used as sex slaves, while others were sold to the highest bidder. Most of them killed themselves, but the ones we managed to save ran off for Veronica. Hilda wants to free the ones that were sold in the city." he said simply, not wanting to divulge the other information. Cornelia was a smart woman however, and she figured his sister had been through the same thing.

They had finally reached the location they had been looking for, a confectionery, known mostly for candy. They had recently started baking, and the people around the capital were in love with each pastry that had been made, mostly the crumpets that were sold as the store's signature item. Zack had been to this place many times before, and he had heard Sayo talking highly about the crumpet. He didn't for once thing that children were being used as slaves here.

"Okay, the place looks closed. The top doubles as a dwelling, if I'm correct, the kids are most likely kept in the cellar, baking non-stop." the brunette said.

"How are gonna do this? This street is empty, but we can't just go through the front." Cornelia said.

"How about the back?" Zack suggested. The two women nodded, and quickly lowered themselves to the ground, hiding behind the two buildings. They waited for the remaining stragglers to disappear before dashing across the street.

They looked around through the store front, seeing a light near the back of the building, which they assumed was the kitchen. The store front was empty, but they could see all of the delectable sweets hidden behind the glass showcase.

"This is definitely it." Hilda said.

"Excuse me, what are you three doing?"

Zack grit his teeth, whipping around to see an Imperial Officer standing behind them. He was decked out in full armor, and looked to be fresh out of training. He wasn't much older than them, maybe around nineteen or twenty. He had a sword at his waist, he hand already on the hilt.

"Oh uh...we were wondering if this place was open." Zack said firmly, earning a sigh from the young man.

"Can't you see the sign says it's closed? Now move along before I arrest the three of you." he said. The three nodded, and started moving along.

"Shit...now what?" Cornelia hissed.

"We'll just loop around." Hilda said.

"Hey wait a minute...stop right there...don't move." the man said, causing the three to stop. He walked toward them, the clinking of his armor getting closer and closer.

"Blondie, turn around...slowly."

Cornelia glanced at Zack and Hilda, who both had worried looks on their faces. The last thing they needed was for this man to call for reinforcements and ruin their mission. They needed to do something, but if they did anything, he would definitely call for help.

"I said turn the fuck around!" the man said.

"Alright, Jesus H man, no need to fuckin yell." Cornelia cried, turning to face the man. He looked at her closely, narrowing his eyes.

"Have I seen you somewhere before? You look familiar." the boy said. The blonde smiled, slowly striding up the boy, her hand sliding up his polished armor.

"You might have seen be walking around...have I done anything wrong officer?" she asked. His eyes widened.

"You're that woman from Night Raid, the traitor to the crown! That means all of you are members aren't you?" the man asked, reaching for his whistle in his pocket.

"No no no...don't do that...I'm a woman of many charms. How about I make this worth your while...you ever have sex with two assassins?" she asked.

"Um...no." the man said. Cornelia licked her lips, taking a hold of his chin, pulling him closer to her face.

"You will tonight, I'll rock your world." she said, earning a meek nod from the boy. He suddenly felt something wrap around his throat, pulling him hard. Zack continued pulling, the boy trying his hardest to get the cord from around his neck. Eventually he stopped moving, becoming limp.

"That was close...good thing no one else is around." Hilda said. Zack pulled the deceased officer toward a nearby dumpster, throwing the man inside. They continued walking behind the building, reaching the back lot.

"Sorry about that...I'm sure the last thing you wanted to hear was sex talk." Cornelia said.

"Don't worry about it, you gotta play dirty in this game to win." Hilda said, giving the blonde a smile.

Zack continued walking toward the backdoor of the establishment. He glanced at Hilda and Cornelia who were both prepared to handle whatever was going to happen. He pulled out his handgun and knocked hard on the backdoor. He tightened his hold on his gun as he heard shuffling on the other side of the door. It slowly opened a second later, and he easily pushed it the rest of the way.

"What the hell? Who the fuck are you?" the owner shouted angrily. He instantly backed away when he saw Zack's silverballer.

"Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Huh? What kids...what are you talking about?" the man asked, clearly taken aback. Hilda walked into the room, standing in front of the man, who looked like he had seen a ghost. She gave him a rather eerie smile.

"Hey Howard...remember me?" she asked.

"No...no!" he cried, trying to run away. Zack shot the man in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground, howling in pain. Despite that, he forced himself to his feet, scrambling for a knife. Hilda walked in after him, her heels clacking on the linoleum floor.

"So, have fun fucking girls and then have the audacity to force children to cook for you? Where the fuck are they?" she growled angrily.

"Please, I have a wife...and a son...don't do anything to me!" he said.

"Don't you worry, that fat pig you have for a wife and your son will face their own punishment. I have some witnesses who said you were beating these two children before closing, and one woman said they saw your son hitting a little girl who they assumed was his sister. None of you are free of sin." Cornelia said firmly, grabbing the man by his throat. He threw a stab at her chest, which she easily blocked with her gauntlet.

"Cornelia, he's mine...you deal with the wife and son...Zack go and check on the kids." Hilda said. The blonde dropped the man, stomping on his bullet riddled knee.

"Howard! What's going on, I heard a scream!" a woman called out. Cornelia smirked as she headed toward the source of the voice. She walked up the stairs, earning a surprised scream from the woman, followed by a loud snap.

"Mom!"

"Please, not my son!" Howard cried. Hilda drew her rapier, twirling it around before stabbing it into Howard's thigh.

"You have no say in the matter. Nelly, bring him down here, I want him to writhe in agony as he watches his son bleed out in front of him." the brunette said.

"Please no...he's innocent!" the man cried.

"I didn't find the kids, I looked all over the bottom floor...but I got nothing." Zack said, he peeked through the window, glad he didn't see any Imperial Guards anywhere.

"Tell me where the kids are Howard, or I'll make this more painful for you." Hilda said, earning a loud cry from the man.

"There's a trap door in the pantry...it leads to the underground bakery, they're inside...please just let me go, you've already killed my wife!"

"Get down there!" Cornelia suddenly cried, throwing a teenage boy down the flight of stairs. He cried in pain, stumbling around on the floor. He looked up, screaming as he saw his father with a sword stabbed through his leg.

"Dad!" the boy cried. Hilda grabbed a hold of the boy's head, placing her blade at his throat.

"Tell him what you did to me, tell him!" she hissed angrily. Tears ran down the boy's face, a look of confusion on his face.

"Dad...what's wrong with this girl? What did you do to her?" he cried, fear in his voice.

"This girl...she was a slave to my friend Roy...I raped her various times over the last few years." he said.

"Huh...what?" the boy asked.

"That's right...he did horrible things to me, and you turned just like him...do you fear death boy? Free yourself of your sins...tell your father what you did to those little girls down there!" Hilda hissed.

"I...I did the same! The two girls you forced to work had sex with me for drugs...they wanted to die, but I didn't give them a strong enough dose. I told them if they wanted more that they had to do what I said." he cried, causing the man to scream in rage.

"There it is...like father like son...both of you will have eternal solace in hell." the brunette said, running her blade across the boy's throat.

"No!" Howard cried, watching as his son started bleeding out, twitching on the floor. He reached for the boy, holding him in his arms, his eyes slowly glassing over.

"Now you feel true despair...just like I felt every time you abused me...if it were up to me, I would let you stew in it, but that's not how I roll." she said, stabbing her rapier right through the man's heart. He gasped in pain as she ran him through with her sword, twisting it around as hard as she could. She pulled the blade free, using a nearby apron to clean it off.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled." she said, sheathing her sword as the man slowly bled to death. His head slumped over, his breathing ceasing a second or two later.

Hilda walked down into the cellar, seeing Zack talking to the two little girls, who were both dressed in rags. They were crying, hugging the man as tightly as they could. They both looked at Hilda, running toward her, hugging her as well.

"Miss Hilda, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Me too girls...let's get you out of here. We have a friend in town that will get you out of this horrible city." she said, earning nods from the two girls.

"Go with Nelly, I'm gonna rendezvous with Mine and Sheele at the park...they had quite a hard mission." he said.

"We'll meet up at the base then, good luck big brother." the girl said, hugging the boy tightly. He dashed out of the cellar, quickly moving toward the park.

Meanwhile, Mine and Sheele were leaving the estate of the Noble they had been assigned to kill. It had been a rather challenging fight, but they had taken care of them with ease. They hadn't been expecting the man to actually put up a fight, or that his extended family had been visiting. It made it much harder to leave without having witnesses, in the end they had to knock out various people and kill everyone who had seen Mine's face, to protect her identity. Regardless, it had been quite the mission.

"Man, that Chibul asshole had too much protection!" Mine said, a grin on her face. Sheele nodded, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I'm happy we were able to settle the matter safely."

They reached one of the plazas between the mansion and their rendezvous location. It was a large area, entirely of cobblestone, with a small clock tower in the center of a fountain. The plaza was located just outside of the palace walls, the top spire of the Imperial Palace visible from the plaza. The entire area was surrounded by large lush trees, leading into the nearby forest. The two of them rapidly stopped, seeing someone jump right in their path. Mine dashed back a few hundred feet, quickly drawing her gun.

"Heh...I knew it, you're that woman from the wanted poster! Sheele of Night Raid!" the brunette said, glowering at the violet haired woman.

" _Who the hell is this bitch? She isn't like the other Garrison guards, she didn't make her presence known..."_

"Judging by the teigu in your hand, I can safely assume you're also part of Night Raid. Finally, I knew waiting in the cover of night was a good idea, I've finally found you Night Raid!" the woman cried, a hateful sneer on her face. Mine chuckled, a smirk on her face.

"You've seen our faces, you either join us or you die." she said, over the ticking of the clock.

"You don't have to be taken in alive! My father died taking down villains like you, and you killed my master and Captain. I will not forgive you!" the woman hissed angrily, pointing at the two assassins.

"Then, you're willing to fight? Victory to the one who can land the first move!" Mine said, rapidly raising Pumpkin. She let out a hail of gunfire, a smirk on her face.

She had been expecting the young officer to be filled with holes, but the dog like creature with her had grown in size, an angered look on its face, as every bullet fired stuck out of its skin. Mine hissed in annoyance, glancing at her friend.

"Mine, that's a teigu." Sheele said, earning a nod from the pinkette.

"Looks like it, and it's a biological type. What a pain in the ass." she muttered, changing the upper of her gun for a more powerful one. The woman rose her hands up, two tonfa guns in her grasp. The two assassins easily dodged the gunfire.

"Firing from a distance isn't effective. Koro, Prey!" she called out. The large dog like teigu let out a roar, jumping toward Sheele, it's jaws wide open, showing the infinite rows of teeth that lied past its lips. Sheele pulled her teigu from its holster, pulling them open. She had a calm look on her face as she dashed forward, slicing the creature in half.

"Sorry." she mumbled, flicking the blood from her blade. The officer let out a laugh, watching as the large dog got to its feet, jumping at the violet haired assassin.

A Loud gunshot tore through the air, causing Zack to stop mid sprint. He looked around, eyes widened by the sudden loud sound. He let out a gasp when he realized what it was. He changed his course, running through a nearby alleyway, using it to cut through the nearby streets.

" _That was Pumpkin...were Mine and Sheele intercepted? I need to hurry."_

"Crescent Rose, give me some speed." the boy chanted, slicing his finger open with the tip of his teigu's handle. He felt a rush of energy flowing through him, his muscles speeding up a bit.

"You have to be more careful Sheele. It said so in the book, unless you destroy its core, a biological teigu will regenerate." Mine said, earning a nod from her friend.

"It doesn't have a heart either, so Akame's Murasame is useless...what a problematic teigu." Sheele muttered, holding Extase tightly in her grasp.

"You aren't getting away! Koro, Arms!"

The two assassins could only watch as the biological teigu flexed its arms, the muscles bulging out, almost like that of a body builder. It let out an angered growl as its arms pulsed. Mine couldn't help but feel disgusted at the sight, wanting to spit at the ground, but she knew she didn't have time for something so trivial.

"Sheele, this is our only chance...we'll have to find its core quick." Mine said.

"Understood."

"Now Koro, Crush!"

The giant muscular teigu let out a growl, running straight at Mine. She looked around for some cover, but the creature was fast approaching. She had nowhere to run to. She saw a flash of purple in front of her, only to see her friend standing before her, using her giant scissors as a shield. Koro continued his onslaught, the rain of speedy punches only picking up speed.

"Stay behind me Mine!" Sheele cried. The officer let out a grin as she blew the whistle she had been given, the loud sound flowing through the empty plaza.

" _A whirlwind attack, and she's calling for backup...now we're in even more of a pinch."_ Mine said, smirking a bit.

"Okay, let's do this!" Mine cried, springing into the air. She let out a scream, unleashing a powered up attack on the teigu, literally blasting it apart.

"No way, her attack increased?" the officer asked, clutching her whistle tightly.

"Shit, it's already regenerating." Mine muttered, growling at the sight before her.

"Don't underestimate the power of a teigu! Our justice will reign supreme!" she cried.

"Teigu's are tools...if you get rid of the user, it'll stop working." Sheele said, swinging her scissors at the woman, who easily jumped out of the way.

" _She's been after me from the start!"_ the officer growled, raising her tonfa guns.

"Extase!" Sheele cried, a brilliant gleam appearing from the weapon.

"What is this?"

"This is you're end!" the assassin said calmly, swinging her weapon. She threw various rapid stabs at the woman, who easily dodged or deflected all of them. Sheele was quite impressed with the young woman's strength.

Koro regenerated enough to stand up, turning around to help its master, only for it to be shot in the side. It turned to face Mine, who had a grin on her face. She continued shooting the hulking beast, tearing more holes into its regenerative flesh.

"You aren't through with me yet!" Mine said, earning a growl from the dog like teigu.

" _It's a pain in the ass, but through process of elimination, I can figure out where the core is."_ she thought, changing out her upper again.

Sheele continued slashing at the woman, backing her away from her teigu as much as possible. She knew she was pressed for time, knowing her backup could arrive at any moment. She kept her face calm, knowing that if her enemy saw her worry, she could switch the tides of battle easily. The brunette suddenly slipped on a stick, giving Sheele the opening she needed. She opened her scissors, cutting her arms clean off. She let out a violent scream, torrents of blood gushing from her now severed limbs.

" _She sacrificed her arms to avoid a fatal wound...in my next attack, I should be able to end her."_ she thought. Her eyes widened when the officer rose her arms, two rifles appearing from underneath her flesh.

"JUSTICE WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!" she shouted, firing at Sheele, who was taken by surprise. She easily blocked the attack.

"Bionic upgrades?"

"It's a trick the captain taught me! Take this!" the woman cried, unleashing more gunfire at the assassin. Sheele blinked a few times, swinging her scissors, slicing the guns clean in half. Sheele turned around, walking back to where her friend was.

" _If I use this, Koro will overheat for a few months, but I'm not letting this chance escape me!"_

"Koro, berserk!" she cried.

Mine gasped a bit as the teigu let out a growl, his muscles rippled more as his skin started glowing a brilliant red. Koro became a bit more hunched over, his legs growing muscular like his arms. He let out an ear piercing scream, causing the two assassins to block their ears.

Mine's eyes snapped open, jumping back to avoid the attack. She was unable to get far before the giant dog grabbed a hold of her, and started squeezing tightly.

"Crush her Koro! Break every bone in her body!" the woman howled, breaking into laughter. Mine let out a scream, feeling her arm snap clean in half. Sheele tried to run, only for the woman to trip her, using her legs to hold her in place.

"You aren't getting away!" she cried angrily. Mine let out another scream of pain, causing Sheele to growl angrily. She pulled her fist back, punching the brunette in the face.

"I'm not...dying here!" the pinkette growled. She heard something flap through the air, feeling weightless for a few seconds, only to be grabbed by someone.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to kill some guards to get here."

"Zack, I'm so glad to see you!" Mine said. The boy set her down, reaching for his scythe, staring down at the creature before him.

"Magical Beast Transformation: Hecatoncheir...a powerful biological teigu, capable of regeneration unless it's core is destroyed. A worthwhile opponent, but one I can easily handle!" he said, swinging Crescent Rose as hard as he could, slicing the creature in half. He spun he weapon around, slicing and dicing, sending large chunks of flesh in all directions. He boy let out a growl, sending a wave of spirit energy at the thing, sending it flying back in pieces.

"It's regenerating! You didn't get the core!" Mine said.

"I know, we're pressed for time, I hear the Garrison coming, we need to go now!" the boy said.

"Mine, are you alright?" Sheele asked, holding her teigu tightly in her hands.

"I'm fine, just a broken arm, nothing I can't handle." the pinkette said with a smile.

"That's good, we need too..."

A gunshot tore through the air, going right through the violet haired assassin. Zack, who had been trying to pull Mine free from Koro's giant arm, only stared in shock as his friend started falling over. The boy stood up, trying to reach his arm toward her, only for Koro to whiz by him, tearing her body apart. Koro let out a growl of joy, blood coating its face.

"SHEELE!" Mine screamed, anger and sadness filling her voice. Everything seemed to freeze for her and Zack. The only thing they could hear were their heartbeats, and the silence around them. Nothing mattered, not getting away, not fighting this deranged woman.

"No no no!" Zack howled, swinging his scythe to and fro, trying to slice the teigu apart, only it was regenerating much faster than before, a likely side effect of its berserk mode.

"How dare you hurt my friend!" Mine screamed, opening fire on the creature. She wasn't able to hit her target due to her broken arm. The sounds of running filled her ears, and she looked all around, seeing a regimen of Garrison soldiers quickly surrounding them.

"There, they're engaging in battle!"

"Quick, kill them all!"

Zack let out a growl, dashing toward the nearest soldier. He sliced him clean in half, spinning his scythe above his head. He started hacking and slashing, pained screams filling the air. His teeth were grit, tears flowing down his cheeks, his face and cloak bathed in blood. Nothing mattered to him anymore...they all needed to die...all of these guards needed to die for killing his friend. He could feel the bloodlust starting to flow through him, he twirled his scythe around, about to stab it into his throat when a brilliant light filled the plaza.

"Extase." Sheele muttered, holding her teigu as high as she could.

"What is this brilliant light?"

"How can she still use that?"

Zack understood what she was doing. Sheele was using her final breath to activate her trump card, not to give them a chance to fight, but to give them a chance to escape. He felt his bloodlust slowly diminishing, as he spun his scythe around, sheathing it behind his back. He took Mine's hand, pulling her along.

"She's giving us a chance to run, let's go!" he said.

"Sheele, I'm not leaving you behind!" Mine cried.

"Go now! Please...get away." Sheele cried, holding her teigu tightly, the brightness increasing. Zack sighed angrily, rage filling his mind as he pulled the pinkette along, running straight into the woods.

" _I'm sorry...I was able to use the last of my life...to save theirs. I finally found a place to belong...Night Raid...my friends...you are all so dear to me. I'm sorry Tatsumi...I won't be returning to you."_ Sheele thought. She smiled brightly, closing her eyes as Koro clamped his jaws around her, ending her life. Zack spared a glance back, watching as Koro started chewing up their friend, her teigu falling to the ground below.

"What happened? What was that bright light? Hey Seryu...are you alright?" the boy asked, glancing at his fellow officer.

"Did you see that daddy? I was finally able to bring someone to justice...if she hadn't done that stupid move, we could have had more fun with her friends. I finally defeated a villain daddy! Justice will prevail!" she screamed, reaching for the sky with her severed arms. The others could only watch as their fellow officer slowly fell to insanity.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City: Abandoned District xxx**_

Zack kicked the door of the abandoned building in, pulling himself and Mine inside. He quickly shut the door, blocking it with a nearby bookshelf. He continued walking into the building, trying to avoid all of the light possible. They continued walking further into the building, reaching a nearby unisex bathroom. He pulled the girl in, locking the door behind himself. He reached inside his holster, pulling out a small lantern, which he easily lit.

"Why did she have to die? Why did she have to get killed?" Mine asked softly, tears flowing down her cheeks. Zack wiped his own away, placing the lantern on the sink.

"We were outnumbered...goddamn it, if I hadn't taken so long to get there...Sheele wouldn't be...she wouldn't be..." he whimpered, punching the mirror as hard as he could, shattering it with ease. His shoulders shook, images of his deceased friend making their way to the front of his mind.

"We gotta...meet the others." Mine said, earning a nod from the boy. He walked toward the bathroom's supply closet, grabbing a broom from within, along with two towels. He cut the towels with his knife, making two strips from it.

"This is gonna hurt like shit, but it's the only way we'll be able to get you out of here." he said. He used his scythe to cut the broom stick in half, so it wasn't splintered.

"What are you gonna do? Splint my arm?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"I'm gonna push the bones in place, put your arm on the counter, and bite down on this. We don't need your screaming attracting guards here." he said, placing the towel in her mouth.

She placed her broken arm on the counter, closing her eyes as she bit down on the towel.

Muffled screams filled the small bathroom, as Zack pushed the broken bones in place. He was sure he was never going to need this type of medical knowledge, but he had been glad he had gotten it now. He held the bones in place, taking the two pieces of the broom stick and placing them next to the arm. He grabbed one of the strips of towel and tied it, making sure it was secured in place. Zack grabbed the other towel which Mine had spat out, and made a makeshift sling for her arm, tying it around her shoulder.

"Fuck, that sucked ass." Mine spat, causing the boy to chuckle.

"You'll be fine...the bones didn't pierce the skin, so no stitches need to be taken...the thing we need to do now is get the fuck out of dodge. They've seen our faces, so we won't be able to come back without sneaking in." he said, walking back to the closet. He rummaged around it, a frown on his face.

"You're gonna kill her right? That Seryu bitch...you're gonna find her and get revenge on her for what she did, right?" Mine said through grit teeth, causing the boy's frown to deepen.

"Mine...we just lost a friend. Don't let thoughts of revenge poison you, because it will do you nothing but harm. We will get our revenge on her, but not right now." he said, wrapping the worn brown cloak he had found inside the closet around her. He took a hold of Pumpkin, giving her a nod.

"Let's go, stay close and stay to the shadows, I'll take care of any fucker that gets near us." he said.

"How will you plan on doing that? Using Pumpkin? You know it's impossible to use two teigu at once, you could die!" Mine cried.

"That only happens with people who don't have enough stamina to use both teigu. There's no issue with compatibility, Najenda herself said I was very capable of using Pumpkin. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." he said, earning a nod from her. They moved through the abandoned building, quickly stepping outside.

It had started raining by now, the water was pouring down on the world below. This seemed to sadden Mine even more as she found herself mourning the loss of her friend. Zack wanted nothing more than to go back, and kill everyone responsible, but he knew he wouldn't be able to face that Seryu woman and her teigu. They moved through the shadows, keeping an eye out for guards. Luckily though, no guards were patrolling the streets, not when all of them were tending to the new pile of bodies that were decorating the clock plaza.

Once they had left the city, Zack slung Pumpkin across his shoulder, and picked Mine up into his arms. The pain in her arm had gotten worse, and the strain from using her teigu was making her more fatigued than she was. He was tired as well, mentally and physically drained from the entire night. But he continued trudging on, walking through the woods and mud. A journey that normally took him half an hour took him an hour and a half, due to the strain, but they finally made it back to base.

He could see the other members of Night Raid waiting for them, all of them standing in the rain, most likely having returned from their own missions. As soon as they looked at them, they knew something had gone wrong. No one said a word as the boy continued closing the distance, coming to a stop right in front of everyone, his head bowed, both in shame and in sadness. He took a shaky breath, looking up at his friends, tears welling in his eyes.

"Sheele is dead. She was killed by a bionic teigu belonging to a woman named Seryu." he said firmly.

Shocked looks spread through their faces. For the senior members of Night Raid, the news hit them the hardest. Akame didn't say anything, the shocked expression on her face being enough. Lubbock bowed his head, his shoulders shaking with each quiet sob. Bulat was much the same, a pained look on his face.

"Where is she?" Tatsumi asked, an angry look on his face.

"What?" Zack asked softly. The boy growled, clenching his fist tightly.

"Where the fuck is she? That Seryu bitch! I met her today in town, where is she so I can fucking kill her!" he screamed.

"Knock it off Tatsumi...rushing in without a plan will only bring more casualties." Najenda said firmly, looking away from the boy.

"So, are we just gonna stand here with our arms crossed and do nothing? She needs to pay for what she did. Our friend is dead, aren't we gonna get revenge?" the boy shouted angrily. Bulat growled angrily, socking the boy in the face, sending him tumbling down.

"Shame on you Tatsumi! Didn't I tell you any one of us could die? Keep it together!" the man shouted, wiping the tears away, as the boy watched on stunned at what had happened.

"Don't you worry, Seryu Ubiquitous will be brought to justice, and I'll be the one to end her life." Mine said, jumping out of Zack's arms, though she stumbled a bit due to her broken limb.

"The kingdom knows now, that it takes a teigu to fight a teigu. So let's look at it this way. There will be more fights against teigu, this will be our chance to collect them. Sheele's death will not be in vain, we will use this to further ourselves, and show this Empire not to fuck with Night Raid!" Najenda said firmly, clenching her metal arm into a fist.

"I'm gonna go...I need to wash this blood off me." Zack said, walking toward the base.

"This might not be the time but...those two little girls are gonna be just fine. The doctor checked them over and even though their malnourished, they'll be fit soon enough." Hilda said, the boy gave her a smile, continuing toward the building. Mine followed after him, not wanting to stay outside in the rain any longer.


	10. Kill the Impostors

**A/N:**

 **I am quite a salty motherfucker...oh yes I am. I just finished Chapter 1 of Danganronpa V3, and holy shit, am I sad, pissed off, impressed, confused and salty. I mean what the fuck? That trial was bullshit! I just can't believe what took place during it and just who we fucking lost! This series is definitely my favorite and is fucking keeping me on my toes. I am not spoiling anything, but I am going to make a comment during my intros, at least about my overall feelings. I am enjoying all of the Research Labs though, but I am curious as to what is going on...hmm..**

 **Anyway, this chapter will cover the beginning of Volume 3, which handles the stuff with the Three Beasts. As I said before, I had to take three chapters and mash them into one, making it rather difficult, we are nearing the Jaeger chapters, I actually just finished covering the events of Volume 4 and am in the process of starting Volume 5. So I shall continue to post, even if it destroys my sanity.**

 **I do hope you are enjoying this series, if you aren't, then please there's the door, I would appreciate it if you take it. If you decide to stick around, I shall provide quality content, mild entertainment, humor and maybe some high impact sexual violence. So look forward to that stuff. Enjoy the chapter!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 10

Kill the Impostors

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid Base xxx**_

It had been three weeks since Sheele had passed on. Life around the base hadn't been the same after they had lost their friend. Akame didn't speak often, or rather she spoke less than before. Bulat spent most of his time training, even through it was currently snowing buckets outside. Leone and Tatsumi had been rather busy doing small killings in nearby towns, undermining the Empire by getting rid of those who benefit themselves from knowing Minister Honest. Lubbock had spent most of his time making sure his security was top notch, and was often spending time with Hilda who wanted to make sure nothing would get past their defenses.

Mine had it the hardest. She wouldn't be able to leave the base until her arm had healed. She had been rather stubborn, but thanks to Akame and Zack she had been eating properly, even though she was embarrassed every time she needed to be fed. The scythe wielder had been teaching her to use her left hand while she was healing, so she had been able to write stuff down, if only to keep herself occupied. He could tell she wanted nothing more than revenge on Seryu for what she had done to their friend.

"Ah...damn it."

Zack glanced over his shoulder, seeing the spilled food on the table. He frowned a bit, wanting to help Mine out with her little problem. However he had gotten yelled at the last time he did, so he wasn't going to bother her. She dropped her spoon again, causing Akame to help her out. She grabbed a spoonful of food and holding it in front of her.

"Here, let me help you."

"I can feed myself, you don't need to bother me." the pinkette said, looking away from her.

"You're arm won't heal if you don't eat. Please, you need nourishment." Akame said firmly. The young woman sighed, allowing herself to be fed. Zack smiled a bit, glancing back at the potatoes he and Tatsumi had been peeling. He felt a sharp sting in his finger and set his knife down, watching the blood trickle down his finger.

"You okay man?" Tatsumi asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"I'm fine...just a bit distracted." he replied.

"Tell me about it...it's been so different since Sheele left us...I think...I dunno man...Sayo hasn't been the same either."

Zack remained silent, watching his cut slowly seal up. He briefly wondered if he could track down those pills again. If he went to the city where he had been taken after his village burned down, and he could find those pills, his regeneration would be able to work properly. He could go back to the capital and slay all of the Garrison officers until he found Seryu...then he could get his revenge for what they did to Sheele. He grit his teeth, growling in anger at the memory of his friend.

"Z-Zack...you're growling again." Tatsumi said softly, pulling the boy from his stupor. He shook his head, reaching for a glass, filling it to the brim with water. He downed it in one go, not caring that it had been hot water.

"Sorry, I've been having flashbacks to that night...I just want to find that bitch and tear her limb from limb." he said, the glass cracking slightly from how hard he was gripping it.

"I think we all do. It's been so hard...I've been having a lot of issues with missions now...I guess my conscience is finally catching up to me." the boy said, chuckling a bit. He set his knife down and started washing all of the potatoes he peeled.

"Assassins can't have a conscience Tatsumi...that little voice that tells you right from wrong is useful during normal life. But now it isn't...you can't just decide not to kill someone in the middle of a mission. They all deserve to suffer, kids like us shouldn't be forced to do this dirty work, if it wasn't for them becoming dirty themselves." he said firmly.

"Kind of hard to do when I just killed a man with his son in the house." he said sarcastically, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Is that all? I've hard to do harder things than that. I had to kill two public workers, a man and a woman who were denying people their public housing...all while their infant daughter was crying in the other room. There I was, covered in blood, watching Cornelia feed a baby." he said, looking away from the boy.

"I see...we've all had our fair share of hardships it seems...it's just...that man may have been good to his kid, but he was such a horrible bastard. Those stains man...they'll never wash out." Tatsumi said softly, earning a nod from Zack.

" _I get what you mean Tatsumi...I've gotten used to those disgusting stains, the blood on my hands is one that will never wash out."_ he thought to himself.

He didn't really feel like staying in the kitchen for lunch. He helped washed the dishes that had been used and left the kitchen. He walked through the empty halls of the base, a cigarette at the corner of his mouth. He puffed it lightly as he walked, glancing at the snowflakes slowly falling from the sky. Due to them being near the mountains, whenever it got cold, it snowed quite heavily. Even though the capital was cold, it didn't snow often unless a storm was rolling through. He frowned as he passed by Sheele's bedroom. He paused, opening the door.

Everything was just as she had left it. All of her personal items were still on her desk, along with a sharpening stone she had used for Extase. Even though it was a blade that cut through anything, it did need to be sharpened quite often. Her bed was neatly made, with posh violet bedspread, and on her desk was a picture of herself and her parents. She was only twelve in that picture, and she was smiling brightly. He frowned, closing the door right after, he couldn't bare to see the room of his now deceased friend.

"You doing okay?"

He glanced to his right, puffing his cigarette slightly. Cornelia was standing beside him, a worried look on her face. She was wearing a white parka, which was zipped half way, and left her midriff exposed. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and her favorite boots. He blinked a few times, glancing out the window beside them.

"I saw my friend get torn apart in front of me, and got bathed in her blood. So no, I'm not doing alright." he said, pulling the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling a small cloud of smoke. The blonde leaned against the wall beside him, a frown on her face.

"I know that, but...I worry about you...you're my partner and I know how hard it is loosing a friend. I still remember loosing Natala, and the others from the Assassination Squad...I'm just glad Akame is still around, and she accepted me as a friend. But that's just how it is." she said. He remained silent, puffing his slowly shrinking cigarette. She sighed, reaching into her pocket for one of her own.

"The life of an assassin is never easy...we all accepted that when we chose to join Night Raid. But now that I lose another friend I...I don't think I can lose another one...so I'll fight...I'll do whatever it takes, to stop this from ever happening. I just go my sister back, and I am not losing her to this rotten empire." he said firmly, crushing his cigarette in his hand. The blue eyed blonde nodded, holding her hand out.

"We vowed to be partners until the revolution begun or until we died, let's keep it that way. Under our flag of carnage, we'll do what is right while doing what's wrong."

"So we can live a live free of strain...I'm glad you're here Nelly."

"Same here, partner." she said with a bright smile.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Palace xxx**_

The screams of prisoners could be heard throughout the palace, all of them coming from the torture chambers. Hundreds of people were being kept here, all of them traitors to the Empire, or those who had called out Minister Honest and how he was taking advantage of the Emperor. The men in charge were having a grand old time, dismembering, whipping and outright boiling people alive.

They however weren't doing a good job, and this is what annoyed General Esdeath. She felt disgusted at what she had witnessed, so she felt the need to...correct them. She had cooled down the large part, and showed the proper way of whipping a person until they bled. The ones being tortured couldn't believe one so ruthless existed, and the ones doing the torturing had grown fearful of the woman. Still, the screams that now filled the palace halls were music to her ears, and that's how she loved it.

She told her Three Beasts to wait outside for her, while she went in to speak with the Emperor. She had earned a nod from their leader, Liver, a man who was previously a general of the Empire. He was the oldest among them all, and by far the wisest. He was a man with silver colored hair, tied in a ponytail that reached down almost to the ground. He wore a black coat, over a formal white shirt and tie, matching black pants and boots, at his waist was a sword, which had served him quite well in the past.

The man next to him was Daidara, a beast of a man who had served under Esdeath for quite a long time. He had blond hair, and had bulging muscles. He to wore a matching jacket, with black pants and boots. Strapped to his back was his weapon of choice, a teigu which split into twin axes. He was one of the most ruthless men Esdeath had met, and that's why she had employed his services.

The final member of her little squad was a rather deranged boy by the name of Nyaru. He had been born into a prestigious family, but wasn't born into a stable life. This of course only fed his deranged nature even more. He was a short haired boy, about thirteen years old, wearing a short sleeved shirt and matching pants. He had a dagger attached to his waist, and was holding a flute in his hands, his personal teigu. He was the more deviant of the three.

She finally reached the throne room, and without hesitation bowed for her Emperor. The young boy had a firm look on his face as the most hardened of his generals finally returned home. He had heard stories of her exploits, and the many things she had done even before he had risen to power. He knew she was a woman no one wanted to face in battle, but he also knew she was his most loyal general. He had lost many in the past, but he knew Esdeath wasn't one to turn the traitor flag on him. He cleared his throat, a small smile working onto his face.

"General Esdeath...welcome home." the boy said softly.

"Thank you sir, the welcome is most appreciated. It is wonderful to finally be back home." She replied, her head still bowed in respect.

"As a reward for conquering the lands of the north, I shall ready 10,000 gold pieces for you."

"Thank you sir, I shall send it to the men I left back to guard the north. They will be most pleased." she said, giving the boy a smile.

"Well...I understand that you have just returned to the capital, but I have an urgent mission for you. The area around the capital is crawling with insurgents, the most dangerous of them being Night Raid. I want for you and your team to kill them all." he said firmly.

"Yes sir, I shall do as you ask. But I have one request."

"If it's more soldiers, then I'll give you as many as you need." the boy replied.

"That will not be necessary. I have heard that a great many of them possess teigus. The only way to fight teigus is with teigus...so I need you to gather six teigu wielders for me. I wish to form a security squad comprised of only teigu wielders." the woman replied, earning a chuckle from Honest.

"You already have three teigu users by your side, and you require six more?" the Emperor asked, a look of shock on his face.

"Your majesty, we need not fear granting General Esdeath the power she needs. She is correct in her ways of handling teigu users." Honest said, earning a nod from the boy.

"Hm...that is true...will you have enough time to prepare what she needs?" the boy asked.

"Of course! I shall send the call out at once." the man said, earning a sigh from the young Emperor.

"Now that the capital will be safe, it takes a great load off my mind." he said happily.

" _General Esdeath doesn't cease to amaze me. She has no interest in politics, all she wants is endless conflict. We both get what we want, it's the perfect Trump Card!"_ the man thought.

"Hmm...I feel gold is not enough to reward your efforts...is there anything else you would like? Some fancy title? Land? Anything you want."

"Well...there is one thing I would like, maybe you can grant it for me, your majesty." the woman said, looking up at the boy.

"What would that be?" Honest asked curiously.

"I...wish to find love, your majesty." the woman said, causing the two to remain silent. Honest didn't know how to react to the rather odd request. Makoto on the other hand, couldn't help but smile.

"Right! You are at a marrying age, it makes sense for you to want to find love!" he said.

"Don't you already have men falling at your feet?" Honest asked curiously. He shivered a bit at the glare he got from the General.

"Those are only pests!"

"Quite right. You need a strong man by your side, I'll play matchmaker. How about Minister Honest here? He's a fine man!" Makoto said cheerfully, earning a glare from the man, who was more frightened than anything.

"With all due respect, the Minister has high blood pressure, his future is not assured."

"I'm fit as a horse! How rude!" the man cried out, annoyance on his face.

"Well then, what are you looking for in a man, General?" Makoto asked, earning a smile from the woman, who reached into her shirt.

"I actually comprised a list of what qualities I want in a man. If you find anyone with these qualities please, let me know." she said, a smile on her face. The boy nodded, taking the paper from her hands.

"I'll take a look at it. Rest assured, every thing you have requested shall be fulfilled. You are free to go, don't be afraid to ask for anything else if you need it General." the boy said cheerfully.

"Thank you, your majesty...I shall see you again soon." the woman said, giving the boy another bow, finally rising to her feet.

"I have some things to discuss with you general, would you mind if we took a walk?" Honest asked, earning a nod from the woman. The two of them left the throne room, not having a place in mind.

"So, your power trip seems to be marching ahead at full speed." the woman said, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Of course...if I don't like anyone, I just kill them. It's quite the content life. It's fun living as I please." he said.

"Just be sure not to make yourself sick." she said, pausing a bit. She glanced around, the familiar sights of the palace making her smile a bit.

"You know, it isn't like me to get excited about anything other than war. These Night Raid people you speak of are quite strong." Esdeath said, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Not strong enough, three weeks ago we recovered a teigu belonging to one of their members. A young garrison officer was responsible for the kill. It was a momentous victory, seeing as several important people have been slain in the past." Honest said, a growl in his voice.

"Indeed, several nobles have fallen over the past few weeks. Not just that, the Wicked Wench was stolen by pirates. We have taken quite a few hits...that is the reason why I requested that team of Teigu users." Esdeath said, earning a nod from Honest.

"Indeed, I understand. I also understand what its like to crave the opposite sex...a woman like you has married by now. In fact, I'm surprised you wish to seek love now of all times." the man said.

"Weird isn't it? While I was conquering the north, I saw many couples fighting for their beliefs. All of them vowing their love before they were all slain on the battlefield...it touched me, in a morbid way of course." she said. Honest rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit.

"It will be quite difficult, I'm sure. But I will find that man for you, even if I have to tear the Empire apart to do so!" the man said.

"Indeed, it is quite a fiendish tactic." she said, earning a smirk from the man.

"It's quite fiendish to ask for six teigu wielders on such short notice."

"Can you do it?" she asked.

"Of course, but for such information, I'll need something from you."

"Oh, the plot thickens? What'll it be?" the general asked, earning a smile from the man.

"I've got a few targets for you, the former Prime Minister. He's been causing a stir recently, advocating for the Revolutionary army, he'll be passing through a village in a few days. I require you to...dispose of him. Make it seem like Night Raid did it."

"Night Raid? Ah...I get it...baiting the hook, you wish to bring them out by killing a high profile target. Consider it done Minister, but I expect you to find the best of the best, so don't hold out on me. My services are quite expensive." she said.

"I am not one to hold out on anyone, especially you my dear Esdeath, at ease, you are free to handle this mission as you wish." he said, earning a nod from her.

"Then I shall be back soon enough Minister, it was a pleasure speaking with you. I wish you a good day." she said, bowing to the man.

"You as well...Welcome home, to you and your beasts." he said, catching the three not far from where they stood, she smiled, turning toward the three.

"I've got a new mission for you...I hope you are all ready for the carnage that is to come." Esdeath said, earning smiles from the three.

"Whatever you wish of us, we shall do it posthaste." Liver replied. He swore the smile on Esdeath's face couldn't have been any brighter.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid Base xxx**_

Sayo let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the ground. She panted a bit for breath, as she grabbed her wooden sword. She forced herself to her feet, breaking into a sprint, racing toward her target again. She threw several jabs and slashes, all of them being blocked with ease. She threw a kick outward, only for her leg to be caught. She swung her sword, the attack being parried with a dull thud. She was thrown back with ease, this time landing in a snow bank.

"Had enough?" Hilda asked, a frown on her face. The black haired girl stood up, not bothering to brush the snow from her kimono. She didn't care that it was snowing, and she didn't care that it was cold. She wanted to train, and doing it in a harsh condition was good training.

The brunette sighed, parrying all of the attacks she had thrown at her. She easily disarmed the girl, her sword falling aside. Sayo however grinned, reaching for a wooden knife behind her back, slamming it right into the rapier user's chest, wedging it right into her cleavage. The girl backed away, glancing at the handle of the knife, a look of pride written on her face.

"Bulat Rule Number 4: Always have a back up weapon." she said, giving the woman a wink.

"Alright, you are learning rather fast...but one thing doesn't sit right with me. Why are you training now of all times? Don't you know it's cold?" the brunette asked, earning a sigh from Sayo, a cloud of steam coming out of her mouth.

"I want to get stronger. I've been on missions before, but loosing Sheele has made me realize just how vulnerable we all are. It doesn't matter how hard we train, if we get caught off guard, we will die. Even worse for me and Tatsumi who don't have teigu of our own." she said firmly.

"That is indeed true but...aren't you cold?" Hilda asked curiously.

"Are you?"

"Of course not. I trained in worse conditions with Captain Nama up in the northern provinces. I had to walk barefoot on ice, nothing beets that type of cold, except maybe that cunt Esdeath. Rumor has it, she's back in town."

"A worrying thought. Zack once told me about her, she's the strongest in the Empire, a woman you don't want to mess with." the ravenette said. She spotted her flower on the ground and knelt down, picking it up before it was blown away with the wind. She pinned it to her hair, brushing it behind her back.

"The battles will only get harder from here. Sheele's death did nothing but stir the pot of this empire. We will be hunted down, one by one until we all get killed. We must be ready for anything and everything...especially now that Esdeath is back. We hold the numbers, but for how long?" she asked, glancing at the swirling clouds above them. The wind started glowing again, the brisk air making her shiver for the first time in awhile.

"We should go inside...I may have grown up at the base of a mountain, but staying out here for longer will only make us sick." Sayo said, grabbing the discarded sword. She turned around, walking back toward the bucket filled with swords, which she emptied of snow. Hilda smirked, pulling the knife from her cleavage. She flicked it outward, smacking Sayo right on the ass. She turned around, a glare on her face.

"Bulat Rule Number 5: Keep an eye on your surroundings, you never know when you might get attacked."

"I'm gonna have fun wiping that smirk off your face!" Sayo said, grabbing a handful of snow from the ground. She threw it at Hilda, who rose her hand, catching it in her telekinetic grasp.

"Hehe, you can't beat me Sayo, you just started a war you can't win." Hilda said, snapping her fingers. Hundreds of snowballs floated around her, causing the girl to gulp at the sheer number of them.

"Now...let's not get hasty here." she said, earning a grin from the brunette. For the next few minutes, Sayo's screams were carried off by the wind.

"So, how's your arm doing?" Zack asked softly, glancing at Mine who was sitting on his bed, dressed in a white and pink night gown. She had a frown on her face, but her eyes told him the story.

"Right...shouldn't have asked." he said. He blew into the barrel he was cleaning, grabbing the wire brush beside him. He had taken it upon himself to clean Pumpkin up, and keep it ready for a fight, in case it was needed.

The large case before him held all of the spare parts needed to keep it clean. It was quite the amazing weapon...it was a rifle that turned spirit energy into ammunition, how he didn't know. But it worked on the same principle as his scythe did, turning spirit energy into power. Of course he didn't use those trump cards often, for how tired he got. He had to hand it to Mine, who had quite a lot of stamina and spirit to be able to use such a weapon. He started putting the upper back together, fitting all of the pieces together before screwing them back in.

"I came here for a reason." Mine said, earning a low hum from the boy. He continued working on the weapon, grabbing the lower of the rifle, placing both of them together with a twist. He held the rifle to his shoulder, looking down the iron sights.

"What would that be?" he asked curiously. Once he was done with the weapon, he placed it back inside the case, along with the spare uppers and lowers. He closed the case right after, walking toward the bathroom to wash the oil and lubricants from his hands.

"You know what it is! My arm is broken, so I can't brush my hair, and I don't want Akame to brush it again! She's too rough with me, Leone is drunk and Sheele is..."

"I get it...give me a second." he said, placing the soap back in the dish. Once his hands were clean, he wiped them off with a towel, walking back into the room.

The wind was blowing roughly outside, it was early winter after all, and it did hit the mountains quite hard. He wasn't wearing much, just a tee shirt, some sweat pants and a pair of socks. He was glad the base was heated, because it would be a cold winter for them all. Mine shakily reached beside her, grabbing the pink hair brush she had brought along with her.

"You know...I miss Sheele a lot. She may have been an airhead, but she was a good listener...whenever I had problems...she would usually listen, and give me advice." the girl said softly. Zack grabbed a handful of her hair and started brushing it, making sure to get the knots out of it.

"I miss her too, for the longest time, Night Raid had been just us. All people who were brought in from survivor camps, or those who were trained by Generals and Captains from the Revolution. I lost friends during the training, and the missions, but this one hits me the hardest. I didn't know them as long as I knew Sheele. Christ, she was like a sister to me...it just hurts getting back to base and not seeing here there with everyone else!" he said, gritting his teeth.

"Ow, don't tug so hard dammit!" she cried, glaring at him.

"Sorry." he said sheepishly. He continued brushing her hair, running his fingers through each silky strand, making sure it was all thoroughly brushed.

"Lubbo told me the real reason behind that fight with Nelly. You wanted a date with her right?"

"I don't want to talk about that right now Mine." he replied, a frown on his face. He set the brush aside, grabbing the black ribbon she had brought along. He tied it around her head, forming a bow right at the top, allowing the excess to fall down the sides of her head.

"You're in love with her right?" she asked. The boy remained silent, glancing toward the window. He let out a sigh standing up from his seat, reaching inside his pocket for his pack of smokes. He flicked it open, seeing it was empty. He crushed it, reaching inside his drawer for a new pack. He pulled one out, lighting the end of it with his zippo.

"I've been in love with her from the second I laid eyes on her. It's hard having her as a partner, being in love with her and her outright rejecting you. Sure, I fuck around with her, but I did tell her once that I loved her. She just brushed it off." he said, puffing his cigarette. Mine stood up from her seat, moaning a bit in pain. She pulled the cigarette from the boy's mouth, glaring at him.

"How many of these have you smoked since Sheele died?"

"Plenty...what are you, my mom?" he asked. She rolled her eyes, taking a long drag of it. She coughed a bit, brushing the smoke away from her face.

"God, these are awful. How can you and the boss smoke this shit all the time?" she asked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"We're used to it...trust me, when your stressed, you'll do anything to take the edge off...you've seen how much Leone drinks when she's upset. Akame overeats, Bulat over exerts himself, and Lubbock hides away in his room, reading manga until he falls asleep. We've all got our fair share of coping mechanisms." he said, earning a nod from the girl.

"I suppose you are right...but smoking these only makes your lungs work less...then again, it doesn't really matter to a person with regeneration."

"Why did you come here?" he asked, sitting back against his desk. He snagged the cigarette from her fingers, placing it back between his lips, puffing it lightly.

"Because it's unfair that you have to suffer alone. The others are suffering the loss of a friend, but they didn't witness it like we did. They didn't see her get torn apart, or saw her blood raining down on us. It's been tough, and it will be tougher, but I want you to know that you aren't alone." she said. He let out a chuckle, glancing out the window.

"I didn't peg you to be a worrywart Mine. You are always so rude to people, and always pushing them away. Is this your true nature?" he asked curiously. She blushed, looking away from him.

"S-shut up! I just want you to be at your best! Now that Sheele is gone, we need to start pulling out weight around. Since I can't take missions until I get better, that means you'll have to work twice as hard as before!"

"Mhmm...but if I'm gone then who's gonna be here to brush your hair?" he asked, earning another blush from her.

"I'll be fine...dammit, I'm gonna go. It's already getting late, and anyone could be called at any time!" she said, heading toward the door.

"You gonna tell me the true reason why you came here, or are you just gonna make me figure it out?" he asked curiously.

"Cornelia is an idiot for not accepting that date. If it were up to me, I would move on, being in love with a woman who doesn't love you back isn't healthy." she said.

"So, I should broaden my surroundings you mean? Who would be ideal? You?" he asked.

"Goodnight Zack." she said, leaving his bedroom, slamming the door rather hard.

"I'll never understand women." the boy said, putting out his cigarette, keen on catching some much needed rest.

Zack knew what Najenda was going to tell them was serious, especially if it meant calling everyone back to base. A few days had passed, and a sense of normality had returned to the base of assassins. Bulat and Tatsumi had returned from some much needed training, and Hilda had taught Sayo everything she knew about the sword. Both were now capable of holding their own in any given situation. And while they still missed Sheele, it was imperative that they get back to work, no matter the cost.

"So...I've got some bad news, some terrible news, and some worse news...which would you like to hear first?" the woman asked.

"Just give it to us straight boss." Leone said, earning a nod from the woman. She sighed, rubbing her remaining eye.

"First piece of bad news...we've lost contact with our Regional Team. They were given a very important mission and they have yet to check into HQ." she said.

"Shit...that's just what we needed." Cornelia muttered, bowing her head a bit.

"Uh...there's a regional team?" Tatsumi asked curiously, Sayo having the same look on her face. Zack noticed the two of them were standing a bit closer to each other. He glanced at Leone who also had noticed this, and she just gave him a knowing smirk.

"The Empire is vast. There is another assassin team that handles missions else where in the Empire. Night Raid is the division that handles the capital and the surrounding areas." Akame said.

"Mhmm...the Regional Team, or the Brotherhood as they are known, handle the Eastern parts of the Empire, while the Order of Assassins handles the southern areas near Veronica. All three teams work in conjunction to handle all of the Revolutionary Army's dirty work. We're janitors if you will." Zack said, earning a growl from Mine.

"I am not a goddamn janitor! Takeo and Chelsea are on that team, or did you forget?" the pinkette asked.

"First off, Chelsea is not dead. That bitch is too stubborn to die, and with her teigu, she isn't gonna get found. Same for Takeo...sides he's got Falco to cover his ass...it's the others that I worry about." the boy said, a frown on his face.

"Most of the Brotherhood come from the same camp that Cornelia, Zack and Mine were from, so they know them personally. Makes it a lot harder on all of us, especially when friends are involved. I'm already looking into it, but be prepared for the possibility that they have all been killed." Najenda said, earning grim looks from the others.

"We have to bolster our security, Hilda any ideas on widening our radius?" Lubbock asked, earning a nod from the rapier user.

"We can spread our area toward the falls near the caverns, we follow it west and head toward the edge of the forest south of here. That should give us what...two kilometers?" she asked.

"Three, we already cover one and half." he said, jotting it down on a small notebook.

"Ahem, a more serious piece of news. As you know, General Esdeath is back...her conquest of the north took a lot less time than we expected. Hilda, I regret to inform that your old commander perished in the battle, I'm sorry." the woman said. Hilda frowned, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"It's alright...Captain Nama was prepared for that, I think." she added.

"Regardless, she has left her men up north. Currently she stays within the torture chambers, drilling the instructors on how to perfect their torture techniques." Najenda continued, pulling out her pack of Djarum Blacks.

"So, we can safely assume that she isn't going to attack the Rebel Army yet." Bulat said, earning a chuckle from Zack.

"If there's something I've learned about that bitch, is to expect the unexpected. I've never met her personally, but I've seen what she can do. With our increased activity, I can only assume she's gonna come after our asses. That means the Three Beasts will be more active than normal." he replied.

"Leone, I need you to head to the capital and keep an eye on her, get some information." Najenda said, earning a smirk from Leone.

" _This is perfect...a one on one match against the strongest General in the Empire. If I can get the jump on her, I can definitely take her out."_ she thought to herself.

"The final piece of news...three unknown individuals have been mass murdering Civil Servants. They've left these posters with our names at the scene of every crime. So far, four Civil Servants and sixty one of their guards have been murdered."

"Shit, that's just what we needed." Zack said angrily. Hilda glanced at him, a worried look on her face.

"If they're going after Civil Servants, that means they are eliminating everyone who could potentially chance the status quo. They are high profile targets that the Rebel Army seek to protect, I can't believe four of them have been slain." she said, a look of worry on her face.

"This is the problem right here though. This is the poster being left behind, claiming each attack was done by Night Raid." Najenda said, showing them the paper that had been found at the scene of the crime. Zack chuckled, shaking his head.

"Idiots."

"That's so badly drawn, I can't believe people by it. We haven't taken credit before, why are we gonna start now?" Sayo asked.

"It isn't our style at all either." Tatsumi added. Bulat hummed to himself, his pompadour shaking a bit with each nod.

"This is a feint...they want us to come out and disprove these rumors. The way they made it seem, killing four civil servants and their men, that's something only Night Raid can do." he said.

"Worse yet, former Prime Minister Chouri was one of the victims. All thirty of his guards were slain by these three assassins. His daughter Spear survived only by faking her death, she did however lose an arm in battle, and has been fighting for her life for the last few days. She trained at the temple of the Imperial Fist her entire life, and she was taken down in seconds."

"This makes it incredibly difficult. I'm assuming the previous Prime Minister wanted to change things to the way they used to be right? I heard he was an advocate for the rebel army." Sayo said, earning a nod from Leone.

"He used to spread morale among our troops, if he's gone that means more people will be unwilling to join the army, let alone fight against the Empire." She said.

"All of the men and women that were killed, were those who opposed the current Minister's regime. They were able people, the kind we need in our new empire." Najenda said, puffing her cigarette.

"So...it's an invitation then?" Bulat added.

"Seems so. Someone prepared the tea, now they want us to grab a cup of it." Sayo said, eyes narrowed in thought.

"They're our equals in strength, in other words, they possess teigus...any idea who it could be?" Tatsumi asked.

"Not really...although, I've got a few ideas." Akame said. Thoughts of her little sister drifted through her mind. Zack locked eyes with her, shaking his head.

"It's the three beasts...Esdeath's personal guards. It makes sense...I mean, she arrives and these people all die? Plus three assassins were spotted at these location. It makes sense...she's the one baiting the hook, now it's up to use to take the bait, and kill the sharks as well." Zack said, earning a nod from Najenda.

"I believe we should take the bait, and kill these impostors...let me hear your thoughts." the woman said, leaning back in her seats.

"I don't know much about political factions but...the fact that their abusing our name pisses me off." Tatsumi said firmly.

"I like the way you think. There are five well known potential targets. Headquarters has asked us to take care of guarding them. Out of the five, there are two that are more important. Akame, Lubbock, you take one, Bulat and Tatsumi handle the other one." Najenda said.

"Of course, leave it to us!" Bulat said firmly, a grin on his face.

"We'll make sure to protect our target with our lives, no harm shall come to him." Akame replied, earning a nod from Lubbock.

"That leaves the rest of us to split up and guard the remaining three." Cornelia said firmly.

"How fun. I haven't been a bouncer in awhile." Zack said, a grin on his face.

"Actually, you and Cornelia can't go on this mission...the two of you are wanted, and if anyone gets a good look at the two of you, the plan could go awry. Hilda, Sayo, you two will handle the last potential target." Najenda said.

"Seriously? You want us to stay here and play babysitter for Mine?" Cornelia snapped, an angry tone in her voice.

"We need to stay here and protect the base! It isn't my fault that my face is plastered all over town, I did kill fifteen Garrison officers after all. It gives us time to plan and act. Sayo and Hilda can more than likely handle it. Tatsumi and Bulat are strong as hell, and Akame and Lubbock are silent, realistically, neither you or me can handle a mission of this caliber, we're too damn noisy." Zack said firmly.

"I fucking hate it when you're right." she snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Well then, you all have your missions. It's time for you to fulfill them. Tatsumi, you and Bulat will be guarding the target on the Dragon Ship, Akame and Lubbock will handle the target in Lavarre city. Sayo and Hilda will handle the target in Varielle town...stay safe, and make sure you all return home!" Najenda said firmly.

"Right!" they cried in unison. They all broke off, heading toward their rooms to prep for each mission. Zack frowned, crossing his arms, earning a chuckle from Cornelia.

"What's wrong Zacky? Feeling a little left out?" she asked.

"Not really. Do you actually think I give a shit about being left out? I'm not complaining because the boss has a point. We're wanted so we can't be seen. Bulat has his teigu to hide him so he's fine, and Akame and Lubbock are silent, so they're a good choice. Besides, with Leone heading into town, it doesn't feel right leaving Mine all alone." he said, shrugging it off.

"Fine whatever, I'm gonna go take a damn bath, holler if you need me." she said, heading off toward the bath house. Zack glanced at Mine, who had a tired expression on her face, though the annoyance in her eyes showed her true emotion. Zack chuckled, walking past her.

"Come on Pinkie, I'll make us a snack. You still need to be fed after all." he said.

"Hey, just because my damn arm is broken doesn't mean I can't kick you in the pants." the pinkette cried angrily. Najenda watched them go, a smile on her face. Though she was worried, she had faith that her agents would be able to handle the mission they were given. She just prayed nothing went wrong this time around.

 _ **xxx Location: Grand Canal: The Dragon Ship xxx**_

The Dragon Ship was the largest vessel built in the empire. It was built in only a short span of seven years. Many hardships came from the announcement of this vessel and many people were against it. In the end the canal was seen as a major distributional route, so everyone settled into the idea of building it. Now it was being put through its maiden voyage. Tatsumi stood in front of it, jaw dropped in awe.

"This thing is huge!" he cried, trying not to attract the attention of anyone nearby.

"Don't attract attention to yourself Tatsumi...remember we don't want to give ourselves away." Bulat said firmly. The man was standing next to his friend, wearing his teigu Incursio, which provided him with invisibility. Tatsumi nodded, looking back at the vessel, a frown on his face.

" _This ship is huge. Engaging the enemy here my prove challenging, especially if there are so many people. I can only hope we don't engage here...but if we do, I'll put the people over the fight and take them down as silently as I can."_ Tatsumi thought to himself. He didn't notice the three cloaked figures that walked past him.


	11. Kill the Three

**A/N:**

 **Hey, I actually decided to do a double post. I felt that chapter ten was actually shorter than my daily quota. For Akame ga Kill, I'm aiming for around ten thousand words a chapter, which is something I have actually done pretty well up to this point, of course the reason being the fact that I have to combine several chapters into a single one for me to post. This one actually has 37 pages, just a little over 13 thousand words, and my aim will only increase as I continue writing this story. I am currently being assaulted by my neighbors cat Oscar who keeps sitting on my keyboard, he's a bit of an annoyance, but I shall not be hindered!**

 **Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I might not post anything tomorrow due to me posting this tonight, unless I finish chapter 14 which I am currently writing, then I might post chapter 12. So, please let me know what you think...even though this is a sad part in the series, this is my favorite chapter, due to how it was portrayed in the anime, the original dubs of course. I don't really like Tatsumi's English voice actor, he isn't screamy enough...if you get what I mean...**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 11

Kill the Three

 _ **xxx Location: Dragon Ship xxx**_

The Dragon Ship, the largest ship built for the Empire. It wasn't just a luxury liner, it was also a cargo ship, ferrying goods down the longest canal in the Empire. The Emperor used it as a symbol of progress, and the launch ceremony of the Dragon Ship was just another aspect of that aim. Of course, even if the Empire showed progress with a lavish ship, it still didn't hide all of the darkness clouding it. It was like a thick fog that refused to leave the city, dark, looming over the citizens like claws grabbing you from the deepest pits of hell. Even then, Tatsumi couldn't help but look around in wonder, holding a glass of alcohol in his hands.

"Gosh, this is super ritzy." he said, sipping his martini.

"You're supposed to be the son of a rich land owner. Don't let yourself get too impressed by this stuff Tatsumi!" Bulat said, pushing the lad a bit. To everyone else, it looked as if he had tripped.

"D-don't worry, I'll act the part...it's just a bit hard you know?" he said softly, earning a chuckle from the man. He walked over to the edge of the ship, eyes widening a bit when he saw all of the people waving at the ones aboard.

"Whoa...everyone is waving at us...we're assuming the people masquerading as Night Raid will appear here. This place is packed, and our target is guarded by a wall of muscle. It'll be hard to fight here, so I doubt they'd even show up. We missed the mark here." he said, a look of reassurance on his face. He felt something hard slap his head.

"Don't go lowering your guard by making assumptions Tatsumi! I was able to get on board by using invisibility. There are other tricks our Impostors might use."

"Sorry big bro...how many times have you hit me now?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Just think of them as lashings of love...love...love."

"Don't repeat it!" the boy cried, coughing right after when someone looked his way. He started sipping his martini again, trying not to look inconspicuous.

"I gotta say though, that armor is pretty tough." Tatsumi said, earning a nod from the man, though he couldn't see it.

"Of course! He's helped me survived quite a lot, from the tribes of the south to all of my missions in Night Raid...he's been there for quite awhile!" the man said cheerfully. He let out a sigh, leaning against the railing, glancing at the sky.

"But...even then, it didn't always help me defeat evil...no matter how hard I tried in the end..." he paused, glancing back at Tatsumi, who had been paying close attention, while not giving themselves away.

"There was a man who was quite powerful. He taught me everything I know, his name was General Liver, the was the best in the Empire. He had the best achievements in the Imperial Army, he hadn't sent any bribes to Minister Honest. So he was arrested for crimes he didn't commit, and brought to the jury. He had a plan, to make himself heard across the Empire, and tell the people just how messed up Honest was, but he didn't stand a chance. They charged me with several crimes too...so I did a rather foolish thing. I ran off with my teigu before they had a chance to arrest me." the man said, earning a low whistle from the boy.

"Damn, I didn't think you had it so rough bro. It's pretty crazy, especially knowing that you're General was charged with shit he didn't even do." he replied.

"That's right...the Empire's influence knows no bounds. Whoops, I'm reaching the limit with my invisibility. I've got to take my armor off for awhile." the man said.

"People will recognize you right? You leave the top deck to me, check down below, I'll get you if something happens." Tatsumi said, a look of reassurance on his face.

"Gotcha! I'll be keeping an eye down below, I should be back soon enough." he said, giving the boy a wave as he disappeared down below. Tatsumi frowned, finishing the last of his martini.

" _He's really suspicious...so he would definitely attract attention to himself. Although, I am pretty suspicious myself."_ he thought.

His ear perked up a bit, the soft sound of music started filling the area. The ship had already pulled away from the port and was starting its journey down the canal. He figured the music was coming from the ships band, but that wasn't the case. He closed his eyes, listening to the tune.

"Is that...a flute?" he asked softly.

 _ **Xxx Location: Imperial City xxx**_

The sun was shining brightly over the capital. An odd sense of calm had washed upon the dark city, but this was only because the strongest General in the army was currently making rounds through the city. She was happily greeting the people, introducing herself and letting them know that she was the new head of security. The people went out of their way to show her respect, even going as far as giving her bribes, something that seemed to annoy the woman quite a bit. Right now, she was sitting at a bench in the market district, watching the people go about their business. She had a bright smile on her face as the people politely greeted her. Even the children seemed fond of the woman.

" _What's her deal? Why the hell is she out in the open like this?"_ Leone asked herself. She was currently in beast mode, laying on the roof of a nearby building, her eyes planted firmly on the woman.

Esdeath was just sitting there, a bright and confident smile on her face. This was the woman who wiped out the Northern Frontier, and buried 400,000 tribal men under a thick wall of ice. This was the woman who could walk into a no win situation and walk out without a single scratch on her skin. This was the woman the Revolution was wary of, that many people feared, and here she was advertising herself. It was the most obvious trap, and that's what pissed off and frightened Leone the most.

Esdeath smiled brightly, accepting the ice cream cone she had been handed. The man let her know that it was on the house and proceeded to continue his business. She gave the cone a tentative lick, her eyes moving toward the building in front of her.

" _This odd sense, the fact that she's advertising...I can sense it. Her thirst for blood, I was a fool thinking I could take her on my own."_ Leone thought to herself, growling to herself. She started moving back, rapidly standing up.

" _I hate it, but I have to follow my instincts this time around and run...I'll get her some other time."_ she thought to herself, breaking into a sprint, running over the rooftops, being seen by no one as she left.

Esdeath smirked, glancing at the ice cream in her hands. Strawberry was one of her favorite flavors, but this one was better than others she had. She gave the frozen treat another lick, suddenly glad she had ice powers. Her ice cream was never going to melt, which made it even better.

"That weird vibe is gone...and here I was hoping she'd take the bait." she muttered to herself. She glanced back at the shop behind her, seeing a few more kids lining up in front of it.

"Come on mommy, can I have some ice cream? Please?" a little boy asked, earning a frown from his mother.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I don't have enough money for ice cream...maybe next time okay?" the woman replied.

"Aw...okay mommy." the boy said, disappointed by the news. The General smiled, digging her hand into her pocket, pulling out some spare change.

"Excuse me, I don't mind sparing some money. Everyone deserves to try this ice cream." she said, holding her hand out.

"Really? Are you sure Madam Esdeath?" the woman asked, earning a nod from the general.

"Of course, I can't help but see children frowning. I've got more money than I know what to do with, so I don't mind sparing some. In fact, everyone in line gets free ice cream, on me." she said, earning cheers from the kids, all of them hugged the woman tightly, making her smile.

" _Making friends with the people makes it easier to pinpoint my enemies...this ice cream is good...I'll share it with my friends when they come back."_ she thought to herself.

 _ **xxx Location: Shirotsume xxx**_

"So Sayo, I've got a question for you." Hilda said, attracting the attention of the black haired archer.

They had been in the small city of Shirotsume, ten miles from the capital. Here lived one of the previous senators responsible for public health care in the city. He had been one of the potential targets for the Impostors, so they had been doing their best to protect him. The man was currently hosting a cotillion, and they had been able to sneak in. Sayo was posing as the shrine maiden of a nearby village and Hilda as her retainer.

So far, a lot of boys had been speaking with Sayo. She had been wearing a beautiful white dress, that made her stand out quite a bit, especially with her lengthy black hair, and the butterfly pin she had in her hair. And while it was odd to see her with a bow, no one really opposed it, knowing how many dangerous things were going on. Hilda had been hit on a few times, but many didn't approach her, mostly because of the rapier she had attached to her waist.

Sayo took a sip from her wine glass, cringing a bit at the taste of the crimson liquid. She was never a fan of wine, she was a sake kind of girl. Tatsumi however didn't let her drink often because she became a bit irritable. Sayo was aggressive enough sober, he didn't really like to see her when she was drunk.

"Shoot." the girl said softly, setting the empty glass on a nearby tray, which was quickly whisked away by a butler, who oddly enough gave her a wink.

"Do you like Tatsumi?" the brunette asked. Sayo blinked a few times, looking up at her friend, who happened to be a few inches taller than her.

"The hell you asking me that for? You like him or something?" she asked, a bit defensively. Hilda rolled her eyes, leaning up against the stone railing behind her.

They had been in a large beautiful mansion, which was facing the ocean. There had been an outer wall built around the house so the surf couldn't ruin the house, or fill the courtyard with sand. Hundreds of people, both of noble blood and villages were currently walking around the five hundred year old stone house. She let out a sigh, glancing at the ravenette.

"I don't like Tatsumi...I'm just asking because well...you know, I saw you two getting real close is all." she said.

"Oh...it's not because I like him. He's my best friend, I already lost Ieyasu, I don't want to lose him too. Sheele was slowly becoming my close friend, and she was taken from me. I was just worried you know?" she replied. She had subconsciously grabbed one of the steel arrows from her quiver, running her fingers across the shaft, something she did to calm herself.

"I know how you feel. For the longest time, I thought I would never see my brother...all I saw was those goddamn walls, closing in on me every night of my life. I didn't know jack shit, when I would leave, if I would live, die or be sold...it was hard. But I kept waiting...for the day I finally got my revenge." she said, tightening her hand a bit.

"Zack talked a lot about you...all of the things you did when you were small. How you were a tomboy and hated taking baths." she said, earning a blush from the woman.

"I was just growing up! There weren't a lot of girls in the village, so I had to play with boys all the time. That and I just loved smelling like dirt." she said, earning a giggle from Sayo.

"Trust me, there is no better feeling than running around barefoot and coming home smelling like dirt. But relaxing baths are nice too." she said.

"Mhmm...me and my brother usually bathed together. We lived in a really shabby house, it had a single bedroom and a shack as the bathroom. So we had to share one tub, because the water was heated by the sun, we had to use it at the same time." she said.

"That sucks...it must have been embarrassing to share a bath with your brother. Especially when you started growing into a woman." Sayo said.

"Eh, not really. Our village was one where we embraced ourselves...I mean we have morals, don't start thinking some sick shit on me. It's just...since the whole village was poor, some just enjoyed the little things. Many of us didn't even have bathtubs, or even bathrooms. There was a public bath, but it also became rundown from how many people used it." she said, downing the last of her drink. She stopped one of the butlers, grabbing two more wine glasses, handing one to Sayo.

"She shouldn't drink so much...what if those Impostors show up?" Sayo asked.

"I doubt it...this place is pretty tame...they would go after high profile target. Considering this man is just a senator, it would make sense to go for someone like the Public Relations guy Bro and Tatsumi are guarding." Hilda said, gulping her drink. She shuddered a bit from the alcohol.

"Still, it would be better if we had a semblance of what we were doing. I mean, I can use a sword, but I don't have a teigu like you do." she said softly.

"Eh, you'll find one soon. The Revolutionary Army has quite a few of them in their possession." she said. Sayo nodded, sipping at her wine.

"So, since you and Zack took baths together, that means you saw his fat stack...is it big?"

"Sayo! Why are you asking me that?" Hilda snapped, earning a chuckle from the girl.

"Just asking, I like to keep my options open." she said.

"Pfft, right...just stick with Tatsumi would you? Besides, he's in love with someone else, a stubborn woman who's denser than granite." the brunette said with a frown.

"I wish him luck then, especially if it's who I think it is." the ravenette said, finishing her second glass of wine. She was starting to feel buzzed, but it was better than feeling fear at what could happen.

 _ **xxx Location: The Dragon Ship xxx**_

"You're tune is as lovely as ever, it suits this ship." Liver said, bowing his head a bit. Nyaru smiled, pulling the flute from his lips.

"Thank you, I always have quite a lot of fun playing this flute. To think, a weapon created to boost fighting spirit, is being used in a manner such as this. It fills me with excitement." the boy said happily.

"The ship has left the city, perfect timing."

"That's because I've been playing this for a long time. Even if I stop playing, the people will be debilitated for quite a long time." the boy replied, earning a nod from the man.

"Indeed, but you must remember. There are quite a lot of country folk here, they might not appreciate it's sound. It makes it a bit more challenging on our part.

So don't let you're guard down."

"Just to be safe, I will play for a little while longer." Nyaru said, once again beginning his song.

"What is this...where is this music coming from?" Tatsumi cried, glancing around the deck. All of the people, who had previously been enjoying themselves, were now lying on the ground, passed out completely. He had checked a few of them, sighing with relief when he saw that they were breathing.

" _That music...it has to be the flute I keep hearing. I don't even have the strength to call for Bro. Gah...even when I block my ears I can still hear it, it has to be a teigu!"_ the boy said, gritting his teeth. He heard footsteps behind him.

"I'm so tired of hiding anyway. This makes it more fun...oh, someone is still awake. You know, the hypnoses will make your memory hazy...it makes it easier if you don't remember who I kill." the man said, causing Tatsumi to growl.

"So, you must be the phony Night Raid...am I right?"

"You must be the real deal...that's nice. I get to defeat you here and now." the man said, reaching behind his back for a sword.

"Take it." he said, tossing the boy the sword, which he caught with ease.

"The hell is this?" he asked, glancing at the object in his hands. The man chuckled, giving him a grin.

"I want to get experience through fighting...you don't have to worry about hitting an innocents...it makes it more fun doesn't it?" he asked. Tatsumi growled his teeth, partially drawing his sword.

"You want some experience? Alright, I'll give you the experience of sending you to hell!" the boy shouted, dashing toward the man, throwing his scabbard right at him. He pulled out his double sided axe a grin on his face.

"Yes! That's the kind of energy that I want to see!" the man said, swinging his weapon at him. A loud clang echoed through the ship as both blades connected, sending sparks in all directions.

Tatsumi tried jabbing the man, but he used his weapon to defend himself. He threw a kick at the boy, swinging his axe at him, almost slicing his head off. Tatsumi grit his teeth, jumping back a bit.

" _I'm a lot slower than normal...it must be due to that flute...that means I won't be as fast as I want."_ he thought, gripping his sword tightly.

"Hehe, I'm going to crush you!" he shouted, jumping at the boy. Tatsumi jumped back, watching in awe and shock as he slammed the axe into the ground, right where the boy had once stood. He would have been sliced clean in half.

"Holy shit balls." Tatsumi muttered, panting a bit. He heard the man laugh, separating his axe, holding it tightly in his grasp.

"You did well to dodge that attack, so I want you to try this on for size!" he said, throwing the weapon at the boy. Tatsumi grit his teeth, jumping back to dodge the weapon. It grazed his skin, leaving a small gash behind. The weapon curved around, heading toward him once more.

" _Damn, due to the music, my body can't react the way I want it to...if this keeps up, I'll be dead meat!"_ he thought...dodging the weapon again. He got a good look at it, dodging it a third time.

" _Belvark, an axe teigu that doubles as a boomerang. It will continue following after its target until they are slain, it doesn't even loose momentum. It's quite a difficult weapon to face."_ he thought. The weapon whizzed by him, leaving a small cut on his face. He growled angrily, running straight to the man.

"Alright, if it won't stop following me, then I'll use it against you!" He shouted, holding his sword out, ready to throw a strike at the man, who only smiled brightly.

"Don't be an idiot!"

Tatsumi let out a scream of shock, finding himself launched back several hundred meters. Bulat stood in the middle of the deck, glancing down at his friend and partner with shame. Daidara just stood there, having caught the other half of his weapon in his hand. The man turned around, facing his friend.

"He was baiting the hook and you were going to take the line. Can't you see that's what he wanted? You can't just run straight at him!"

"Big bro." the boy said a look of shame on his face.

"You're awfully energetic. That song was supposed to render everyone unconscious." the man said. Bulat turned to him, a smirk on his handsome face.

"That song didn't work. The hot blood that courses through my veins can't be quieted by some stranger!" he said, giving the man a boisterous laugh.

"So...you stabbed yourself to prevent the hypnotism...you're a piece of work aren't you?" the man asked, giving his axe a few practice swings.

"My name is Bulat of Night Raid, but you can call me handsome."

"I'm one of Esdeath's personal soldiers, my name is Daidara." he replied, a grin on his face. Bulat glanced back at the brown haired teen, a smile on his lips.

"Tatsumi...watch closely! Burn my way of fighting into your mind!" he said, dropping down to a crouch. He let out a piercing scream, which echoed through the entire area. Tatsumi shivered a bit at the sight of his bro, getting ready to fight.

"He's so cool." he said softly.

"INCURSIOOOOOO!"

The evolving armor appeared behind the man, chains sprouting from around him as the armor covered every inch of his body. The breeze kicked up a bit, flicking his cape in the wind as he stood, ready to face Daidara of the three beasts, who was slightly taken aback by his sudden transformation. He could only grin, getting ready to fight.

"Taking you down, will be a great form of gaining experience!" he shouted, running straight at the man.

"That great explosion was Night Raid getting ready! We have the element of surprise."

"That settles it, his skull is mine!"

"Bro...watch out!"

Bulat smirked underneath his armor, jumping high into the air. He swung his fist back, taking Nyaru by surprise, throwing him into some creates at the other end of the boat deck. He spun in mid air, slamming his leg into Liver who was also taken aback. He slammed into the far wall, the wood behind him cracking from the strain. Daidara pulled his axe apart, about to throw them at Bulat. The man was faster, and pulled out his spear, slamming it straight down at the blond man, slicing him clean in half. His body fell back to the ground, lifeless as his blood and entrails spilled onto the wooden deck.

"Holy fuck!" Tatsumi said softly, his jaw almost hit the ground as he watched his Bro flick the blood from his spear.

"Tatsumi...this is what it means to be aware of your surroundings." Bulat said firmly, looking at the body of the now deceased man.

" _Incursio, the evolving armor. When activated, it covers the user in a suit of iron armor, that increases the wearers capabilities. He killed that man, and drove those two back...all...in a single second."_

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid Base xxx**_

Zack frowned slightly, as he pulled the loading rod of his hunting rifle. It was a Remington 800, one that he used to train so he didn't waste ammo with Crescent Rose. He wasn't exactly firing .50 BMG, but he was still pretty accurate with it. He rose the rifle to his shoulder again, looking through the scope. He licked his lips, the wind blowing through his hair. He watched on, looking at the Buck that was grazing on the bait he had planted. He exhaled softly, pulling the trigger back. The shot echoed through the wind, as the bullet struck the buck through the side of the head, killing it instantly. He ejected the shell, slinging the rifle onto his shoulder. He jumped down from his perch, landing in the soft snow below. He started walking toward it, hearing the growl of nearby Danger Beasts. He frowned when he saw some wolves, eating the animal he had just hunted.

"Fuck." he muttered.

"Having fun?"

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing his partner standing behind him. She was wearing a mink coat, one that she had made herself. She was holding her own rifle in her hands, in case she needed to defend herself against attackers, her gauntlet was attached to her belt as always, and she had a pouch filled with ammunition. The boy shrugged, walking away from the Buck.

"I'm trying to keep myself entertained, if that's what you mean. Being stuck at the base while our friends risk their asses isn't exactly my cup of tea." he said, following the path back toward base.

"I know what you mean, but if you must know, the new wanted posters were printed out...wanna see yours?" the blonde asked, ignoring the blistering breeze that had picked up. The boy glanced at her, a smirk on her face.

"Hand it over, I really want to see how the empire portrays the evildoer." he said. The woman dug her hand into her bra, pulling the folded piece of paper, handing it to the boy. He unfolded it, looking at the picture.

It was a picture of himself, of course. It had been expertly drawn, no doubt from the memory of the one who saw him. He had a firm look on his face, his spiky hair being in all directions. The right side of his face was covered by his white mask, and he was wearing his cloak, the hood being over his head.

"Wanted Dead or Alive for his crimes against the Crown. Zack of Night Raid, wanted for the brutal slaying of fifteen Garrison officers, as well as the slayings of the Astrea Family and many others. Any information that can be used for his capture will be accepted at the capital Garrison." he read out loud.

"You know, if you take your mask off, maybe brush your hair a different style and shred the cloak, you could walk right in and not be seen." Cornelia said, earning a smirk from the boy.

"Yeah, and maybe if you cut your hair, shred the coat and get a breast reduction, you could walk in and not be seen as well." he said sarcastically, earning himself a punch to the arm from the woman.

"I was trying to make light of a bad situation. Now that you're face is plastered alongside ours, it's gonna make it a lot harder to wonder around the city. It's not like you have Gaea Foundation to hide yourself whenever you need it." she said firmly.

"Gaea Foundation...the teigu you couldn't use. Ah I almost forgot, I saw that pain in the ass when I went to Versailles." he said.

"Shame on your Zack, that pain in the ass as you so eloquently put could very well be dead! She's your friend, even if she's a pain in your ass." Cornelia said, a look of annoyance on her face. The boy shoved the poster into his pocket, crossing his arms.

"Don't you think I know that? It kills me not knowing, but we have to worry about our own right now. Mine is incapacitated right now, and everyone else is gone. We should get back to base, before something happens." he said, earning a nod from the blonde. They remained silent for a few minutes, only for Cornelia to break the silence.

"Hey, did I do something to upset you?" she asked. Zack glanced at her, a look of confusion on his face.

"The hell do you mean?" he asked.

"Well...I feel like you're annoyed with me for something. Is it because I didn't let you win that fight?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad about that?" he replied, arms crossed in annoyance. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Because you wanted a serious date...that's so unlike you Zack, asking for something that... _normal._ Usually it's, _let's go on a mission_ , or _I'm gonna kill that bastard_ , so I need someone to share in the bloodshed...not, _let's go on a date_." she said firmly.

"That should be eye opening then. There is a reason why I asked you on a date, even if I had to fight for it. That's because I am seriously in love with you." he said. She rose a brow, lips pursed.

"Ahuh...and this isn't a prank? Like the normal ones that you and Lubbo pull on me?" she asked.

"Why the hell would I prank you with that? I just told you I'm in love with you. I have been since we met, why would you think that I'm joking around?" he asked, slight anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry...this is just new to me alright. We're assassins, you said it yourself, romance after the mission. I can't fall in love with someone knowing they might die." she said firmly. He growled, glaring right into her eyes.

"You think I'm in danger? You think I might die?" he asked curiously.

"You and I both know in this line of work, there will be a chance. We might get killed, maybe not tomorrow, or the day after that...maybe not at all. But there is always that chance, and I am not going to take the plunge. Because if I fall in love, I might die and I don't want to hurt the one I love. It would be even worse if they died, because then I would have a broken heart." she said firmly.

"That should be reason enough to take the plunge. We may die at any given moment, so wouldn't you want to feel love? Wouldn't you want to see what life has to offer? To love the little things?" he asked, a hint of seriousness in his tone.

"It is reason enough, for you perhaps, but not for me. Until this war is over, I vowed not to let those emotions overcome me. I am an assassin. I live in darkness and die in darkness, I am a killer by trade. I am Night Raid, and that's all that I'll be." she said firmly, walking away from him.

"Don't hit me with the creed. It has nothing to do, and it isn't the only thing we live for. Goddamn it Cornelia, follow your heart for once, not your fucking mind!" he cried. She frowned, shaking her head.

"I am...I'm sorry Zack, but I don't feel the same way you do. You are my best friend, and that's all I see you as. Try not to let this change our relationship...of course if it does, I understand. I'll tell Najenda I don't want to be your partner anymore." she said, with that she disappeared into the woods, leaving a rather pissed off Reaper behind. He heard the sound of an Evil Bird in the distance and licked his lips, tossing his rifle aside. He reached for Crescent Rose, a smirk on his face.

"I feel a bloodlust coming on."

 _ **xxx Location: Dragon Ship xxx**_

"Bro...I always knew you were strong but...that was fucking awesome!" Tatsumi cried, forcing himself to his feet, clutching his sword tightly. The man chuckled, glancing at his friend.

"Of course! Back when I was in the Imperial Army, I was known as Hundred Killer Bulat. I was one of the strongest around!" he said cheerfully.

"A hundred and twenty eight, actually. Back then you specialized in taking down spies...that style, and that teigu...I knew it, you really are Bulat."

"General Liver?" the man asked, glancing back at the gray haired man. Tatsumi gaped a bit, eyes widening as he looked at the man. He remembered the story he had been told not that long ago, about the General Bulat served under, and what a good man he had been. Seeing him now, it didn't make sense to him at all.

"I'm not a General anymore, not since I joined Esdeath's personal army." the man said. Beneath his armor, Bulat frowned, looking at the floor with shame.

"If we were on the same side, I would celebrate this reunion with a drink but...you are my enemy, so I'll have to take you down!" he said firmly.

"Heh, that's my line, using this teigu I have been given by my master!" the man said, holding his hand out. On his middle finger was a blue ring, with the head of a dragon on it. Several pillars of water rose around the ship, soaring high into the sky.

" _Black Marine, a teigu created from a water type danger beast. It allows the user to control any liquid they touched once. This is one of the three ring teigu I read about in that book."_ Tatsumi thought, glancing at the pillars of water. With a flick of his wrist, Liver brought the water down at Bulat.

"So, a water wielder? Seems fitting for someone who serves under an ice user." Bulat said, easily dodging the pillars. The man growled, clenching his hand.

"True, I am weak without water, but Master Esdeath can create ice from nothing. Esdeath is awe-inspiring! No one is second to her! Not even me! Water Barrage!" the man shouted, sending several swirling pillars at the armored man.

"How bold!" Bulat said, spinning his spear as fast as he could, blocking the water attack. Nyaru forced himself to his feet, eyes widening in shock.

"This man...he's nearly as strong as Esdeath...but in the canal, Liver will easily defeat him. And I shall back him up." he said, placing his flute in his mouth. He heard a shout from above and quickly moved, watching the sword slice through the crates he had been hiding behind.

"Don't forget about me! I refuse to be someone to be protected!" he cried, swinging his sword at the boy, who blocked it with ease.

"You...are in my way." the boy hissed, pushing Tatsumi back. He grinned, holding his sword outward.

"Alright, my body is listening to me again, that means I can go on the offensive!" he said, dashing forward.

He threw several slashes at the flute user, who dodged them with ease. He threw a kick at the boy, sending him flying back several feet. He growled, dashing forward.

Using his flute, he threw several jabs at the brown haired assassin, hoping to so some damage. Tatsumi used his sword to block most of the hits, throwing a few of his own. Nyaru dashed past him, slamming his leg into his back, causing him to hit the ground hard. He jumped at his sword, twisting his body around, his sword clashing once more with the flute. Tatsumi flipped out of the way, dodging the following counter attack.

"The kid is fast, I'll give him that...even with all of those injuries..."

"This one, if my music didn't slow him down then..."

Tatsumi glanced over his shoulder, looking over at Bulat who stood, facing Liver, who now stood atop a giant serpent of water. His eyes widened in shock, surprised to see something like that.

"Ha, where there's water, Liver is strongest! So the win obviously belongs to him!" Nyaru said proudly.

"My ass! Big bro has this one in the bag!" Tatsumi cried out. The two growled angrily, clashing weapons once more.

"Liver wins!"

"No, big bro!"

"I'll crush you with sheer water pressure Bulat! Serpent of the Abyss!" Liver shouted, directing the giant serpent at the man. Bulat let out a shout, crouching down low, aiming his spear upward. With a shout he jumped into the air, slicing the water serpent clean in half.

"I knew you'd opt for slashing apart my serpent, that way you would ensure the lives of the people. But when you take to the air, there's no dodging my attack! Murky Water!" the man shouted, sending another torrent of water at the man. He growled passionately, the visor of his armor cracking.

"A little shower isn't enough to wash away my passion!" he shouted, slicing apart each pillar. Liver smirked, letting out a laugh.

"I know, that attack isn't enough to defeat you. I know that better than anyone. I fought along side you, I know what you can do, which is why I have to give it my all! Water Dragon's Divine Conquest!" he shouted, sending four towering dragons at the man. Bulat let out a scream, being washed away by the attack. Liver panted a bit, his arm still raised from the attack.

"Did that do it? Is he dead?" he asked. He heard something above him and looked up, eyes widening in shock.

"You should know Liver, that an attack like that isn't enough to defeat me!"

"He made it out alive?" the man cried in disbelief. Bulat let out a howl, aiming his spear at Liver. He suddenly swung it to the right, blocking the incoming attack from Nyaru, sending him flying across the boat deck. Bulat landed on the ground, completely spent from the attack.

"Too bad...that was your chance...to defeat Liver!" he said. Bulat glanced around, seeing Tatsumi laying on the deck, his body littered with scratches and cuts.

"I'm sorry bro...I let myself get taken down by him. I couldn't defeat him!" he cried. Bulat let out a laugh, as he felt Incursio slowly fading away, a small cloud of steam covering the man. His armor was broken up from the fight, various bruises covered his arms and face, but he still looked ready to fight.

"It's alright Tatsumi...you did well to survive on your own. For that, I am proud." he said.

"Bro...you're all banged up." the boy muttered, tears falling from his eyes.

"So, it lifts after it takes a certain amount of damage...I see victory on the horizon." Liver said, causing the man to laugh.

"Don't bluff...you are in no condition to use a teigu. I can see the blood coming from your ear." he said, a smirk on his face.

"You are in no condition to use a teigu either Bulat. You look like shit, to be honest. But I'd like to take this chance to negotiate. Bulat, wouldn't you be interested in joining Esdeath's army? With your strength, you would be automatically made an Adjutant General." he said.

"I have no interest in serving the Empire." Bulat said simply.

"Don't think of it as serving the Empire. Think of it as serving Esdeath, that's how I see it. That's how she saved me. We can use as much force as we want, kill anyone we want. Yes, even Government officials with their political maneuvers fear us!" he said firmly, a smirk on his face.

Bulat however remained silent, his eyes narrowed a bit. He couldn't believe his once dear friend was speaking in such a way. It honestly made his blood boil with rage. He couldn't believe someone like that could abuse their power, to do so many horrible things for the people of the Empire. Liver continued, looking away from the sky.

"Come with us Bulat...I'm sure all of your transgressions can be forgotten, Esdeath can do that. She could even clear you of your criminal charges!"

"No thanks, I'm not interested. After the position the government put you in, I can see how you find your new life comforting...but...that's just not my style." the man said, flicking out his foldable comb. He brushed his hair, styling it into its usual pompadour.

"Esdeath's army works for the Prime Minister, so I don't think this guy will take it very well. I'm an ally of the people after all." he said, pointing his comb at the man.

"An ally of the people. That's not something an assassin should be saying." Liver said, earning a smirk from Bulat.

"That's why I said it so modestly." he said cheerfully.

" _I've got to get ready for my secret attack."_ Nyaru said, smirking a bit.

"Bro." Tatsumi whispered, watching the two men stare at each other. He knew this fight was going to end soon, but he didn't know who was going to win. Only one teigu wielder was going to leave the ship alive, it was the fate of being a teigu user.

 _ **xxx Location: Unnamed Village xxx**_

"Look at that. They got rice reserves, now the people of this village won't die...that's surely going to boost morale." Lubbock said, a smile on his face. He and Akame had been silently watching the town, seeing the charity event. He had surrounded the town in his threads, anyone leaving or coming in would trip them, thus alerting the two assassins.

"It's good that they have a lot of food. But now, that makes me hungry too." Akame said, a frown on her face. Lubbock sighed, reaching into his pocket.

"Here, I'll give you some of my food." he said. The girl didn't hesitate, almost taking a bite from the boy's hand, who let out a surprised shout.

"Sheesh, greedy." the boy said, taking a bite from his half.

"Anything on your lines?" she asked. The boy shook his head, tightening the lines a bit.

"Not a thing...I wonder what's going on with the others. Tatsumi and Bulat have a higher priority target after all." the green haired lad said. Akame swallowed her food, glancing up at the sky.

"I just hope they all come back alive...we can't afford to lose another friend." she said softly, earning a frown form Lubbock.

 _ **xxx Location: Dragon Ship xxx**_

"Well, since neither of us can use teigus, let's settle this with swords." Bulat said, earning a smirk from Liver. He pulled a syringe from his pocket, stabbing the needle into his neck, pushing on the plunger.

"Hope you don't mind me doping up a bit." the man said, tossing the syringe aside.

"Bulat, I don't like this." Tatsumi said, clutching his bleeding arm.

"Don't worry, Tatsumi. I prepared to engage a powerful foe, I'm not loosing here." the man replied, pressing a button on his armor, from it came out a silver and black colored sword, with a chain coming from its hilt. It was Incursio's key, a sword he had for quite a long time.

"Let's do this!" the man shouted, running at his opponent. Both swung their swords at the same time, the shock wave sent dust and splinters in all directions.

Tatsumi could only watch in awe as Bulat and Liver continued their fight, swinging their swords relentlessly. Both tried to land a finishing blow, only to be countered by another strike. Sparks danced around them, adding to the serene yet deadly dance of blades.

"Is this really...how two injured men move?" Tatsumi asked himself, still watching on in disbelief. Bulat and Liver continued their fight, neither man giving in for a single second. Bulat let out a battle cry, pushing the older man back. He slashed him across the chest, a torrent of blood flying outward.

"You did it!" the boy cheered. Liver laughed, aiming his ring at the man.

"Secret technique! Blade of Blood!" he cried. Bulat, surprised at the attack, started slashing the blood away, several pins striking his skin. Liver fell to the ground, completely spent.

"Bro, are you okay?"

"None of those strikes were fatal. I commend you Liver, the second I slashed you, you had this move at the ready. I had completely forgotten about blood being used as weapon...but this is where you're life ends." Bulat said firmly.

"That last attack, used the last of my strength. I can't move anymore...Bulat...at least let me tell you, why I joined Esdeath's army." the man said, earning a nod from Bulat.

"Go ahead, I'd like to learn the reason."

"When I was rotting away in that cell, waiting for my execution, she just strode up to my cell. I wasn't going to accept initially, but she made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I wasn't ready to die, I wanted to show this Empire what I could do. I worshiped her, the woman who saved my life. So on her name, I vow not to die without taking you down!" he shouted. Bulat felt a sharp pain coursing through him. He fell to a knee, coughing a large glob of blood.

"Bro...what's wrong?" Tatsumi asked.

"That's just like my former superior. So, it's a draw then."

"What? We need to treat you fast, come on, we can get you to safety!" the boy said. Bulat pushed him aside, pointing ahead of him.

"The battle isn't over yet, Tatsumi...the fiercest one is still alive...you must take him down." the man said.

"Secret Technique: Demon Summon." Nyaru chanted. The musical notes drifted around the boy. He let out a growl as his muscles started bulging, growing in strength until he became a hulking beast of a man.

"What the hell?" Tatsumi muttered.

"This flute isn't only for raising morale. It can also increase my strength for a short period of time, it makes me one of the strongest of the Three Beasts. It's been quite awhile since I've taken this form, so at least entertain me." he said.

" _I'm already hurt...there's no way I can take him on now."_ he thought. He felt a tug on his shirt, and glanced down at Bulat, who was handing him his sword.

"I'm entrusting this to you, Tatsumi. This is Incursio's key...I'm sure you can use it." he said.

"But I can't...I can't use your teigu!" the man said.

"Of course you can't...they say Incursio can tear a human apart upon wearing it. If they aren't strong enough to handle the strain that is. A commoner like you couldn't possibly wield such a demanding teigu." Nyaru said.

"Let's just use hand to hand then...I'm more than capable." Tatsumi said. Bulat stood up, punching the boy across the face, sending him falling to the ground.

"Don't let your enemy sway you! Your strength and training more than qualifies you for wearing it!" he cried.

"Tch...even if he can wear it, there's a matter of compatibility. He simply can't wear it if Incursio rejects him." the now muscular boy said.

"Compatibility is not an issue. Tatsumi's first impression of Incursio was of pure admiration...he has what it takes. Go on Tatsumi, you can do it!" Bulat cried. Tatsumi grinned, forcing himself to his feet.

"Well...if the man I admire so much says so...hehe." he said, putting his hand at the end of Incursio's hilt. Nyaru smirked, shaking his head.

"So, you're really going to try it? Go ahead, it's your funeral. Let me at least get one in before you die!" he said.

"GO TATSUMI! SHOUT IT WITH ALL YOUR SOUL!" Bulat screamed, his voice reverberating all around them.

"HAAAHHH..."

Incursio's key sparked with energy, as the hilt opened up, the jewel in the center glowing a brilliant crimson. Nyaru was pushed back by the energy it expelled, a look of shock, amazement and anger filling his face. Tatsumi felt rage welling in him, for what they had done to his Bro. He could feel it speaking to him, Incursio's voice was filling his mind, he shouted it out, with all of his heart and soul.

"INCURSIO!"

The giant beast appeared behind the boy, arms crossed as it appeared before its new user. Chains came from around him, all of them wrapping around the boy. The beast let out a growl, its jaws opening as it started morphing, changing to fit the new wielder.

"The evolving armor...it's changing to fit Tatsumi." Bulat said, amazement in his voice.

"This is bullshit! You can't tell me that thing is still alive!" Nyaru cried angrily.

"Heh, Incursio was made from a Super Class Danger Beast, one that was forever changing. In the harshest deserts, in the coldest tundra, even in the ocean, this beast evolved. It evolved so far that it adapted invisibility, so it could hunt its new prey. Even after its death, the beasts flesh, which forms the armor, is still alive, forever evolving! Tatsumi, you changed Incursio once more, now...finish this fight!" Bulat said.

"HAAH!" Tatsumi shouted, dashing forward. He swung his sword as hard as he could, only for it to be blocked by Nyaru. He wasn't going to loose this fight, not here not now.

They got into another fierce fight, their weapons clashing with every new hit. Tatsumi let out a growl, his eye flashing a bright crimson as a cross appeared inside his pupil. He let out a scream, his strength increasing as he literally slashed the man in half. Nyaru let out a scream, falling to the ground dead, his heart having been sliced in two. His body returned to normal, the flute falling from his grasp, clinking softly onto the ground.

"You did it Tatsumi. You're emotions, caused Incursio to evolve...if your that strong already...I know that one day, you'll surpass me." the man said softly. He felt his heart jump a bit, as he lost all of his strength. He blinked a few times, catching one last glimpse of his young apprentice.

" _Tatsumi...keep fighting...I know you'll do what's right. Incursio is in your hands, I'll be watching over you."_ he thought, his life finally leaving him.

"Bro!" Tatsumi cried, coming to a stop over the man. He fell to his knees, shaking the lifeless man.

"You watched over me all of this time, slowly teaching me to be stronger. You were everything I wanted to be...I know I shouldn't cry but...is it okay to cry right now Bro?" the boy asked, tears running down his face. He let out a scream of anguish, hugging the deceased man who he had once called his brother.

 _ **xxx Location: Capital outskirts, Village of Tensui xxx**_

A young girl sat, humming a small tune to herself. She was sitting on a large pile of bodies, clutching a katana in her hands. She was bobbing her head, chewing a piece of candy, her favorite kind of candy. She had short black hair, styled in a bob, and wore a long sleeved black shirt, a matching skirt, long stockings and black boots. She stopped humming, feeling one man moving underneath the pile. She drew her blade with ease, twirling it in her hand. With a single fluid motion, she stabbed it through the back of his head, giving it a twist.

"Ah, the human body is such a wonder. It's a shame...when the Minister found out that this village did trade and sent the money to the rebel army, he just had to destroy it."

"That's our Kurome, always on the uptake!"

"Hey Kurome! You're being called back to the capital!" one man said, causing her to look at him.

"Am I? Just me?" she asked.

"Mhmm...something about finding six teigu wielders...says its urgent."

"Interesting...guess I'm heading back home...that means I might see you there, big sister!" she said cheerfully, clutching her katana tightly in her hand.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

It was snowing when Tatsumi returned to base. Due to the urgency of the mission, and the fact that people were waking up, he couldn't bring Bulat back home with him. Even if he had the power of Incursio, he couldn't use it for more than a few seconds. So when he walked back into the base and the hulking form of Bulat wasn't with him, he didn't know what to say. He just stood there looking at the floor for a few seconds, reaching behind his back. He drew Incursio from his scabbard, holding it out to all of his friends. Najenda lowered her head, knowing what that meant.

"I wasn't able to save him...that man, he poisoned himself and used this ring to control his blood." Tatsumi said, holding the black ring in his hand.

"Bro...I can't believe...He can't be dead!" Lubbock cried loudly, not bothering to wipe his tears away.

"He was the strongest of us all...but even he was taken down by something as simple as poison." Akame muttered. She grit her teeth, her shoulders shaking as she started crying. Tatsumi placed Belvark down on the ground, along with Black Marine and Scream, the teigu that belonged to the Three Beasts.

"Even though we have lost one of our own, we recovered three teigu for the Revolutionary Army. Bulat fought hard every single day of his life, he fought for the people, for the injustice of this country. We will not let his death be in vain! Let us join together, and do our best against this horrid kingdom!" Najenda said firmly.

"Goddamn it! I knew I should have gone, if I had...Bulat wouldn't be dead!" Zack cried, slamming his fist against the wall, cracking the brick a bit.

"Definitely, and if you had gone you would have exposed Tatsumi and Bulat much faster. Who knows, maybe you could have died as well...don't speak like you could have made a difference, not after the fact!" Cornelia snapped, causing the boy to growl angrily.

"Guys please! Let's not fucking fight! We just lost Bro...he wouldn't want us to fight like this. He was smiling when he died, he was smiling because he knew we would do our best in his stead. I'm carrying his torch, I vowed not to die, so with Incursio by my side, I will kill anyone who opposes this new Empire and Night Raid!" Tatsumi said firmly.

"I will as well...Bulat was an amazing person...he taught me how to fight, and he gave me hope...I'm going to miss him...I'm going to miss him so much!" Sayo cried, tears falling down her cheeks.

"These three teigus...these are very dangerous. The Three Beasts killed quite a number of people with them...seeing them here now...it's amazing." Hilda said, picking up the black ring.

"Perhaps Sayo can take one for herself." Tatsumi said, trying to be cheerful. The black haired woman walked up to the pile, her hands wrapping around the hilt of Belvark.

"I know I'm an archer, but I need to grow stronger. I want to stop loosing friends, I've already lost Sheele, Ieyasu and now Bulat too...I'm sick of loosing people! Even if it kills me, I'm going to destroy the Prime Minister, I won't stop until every one of his friends is buried six feet under."

"Sayo watch out! It takes immense strength to wield Belvark! That axe could easily kill you!" Zack cried, reaching out for the girl. Cornelia took a hold of his arm, shaking her head.

"Let her try, she's got the strength to use it. I know it." she said softly. They all watched in amazement as she hefted the axe off the ground, almost slipping out of her hands. She looked it closely, seeing the smile on her face.

"Ha! I knew it...this axe is as light as a feather! This is the weapon for me, and with it I will do what's best, I will become someone Bulat would be proud of." she said firmly.

"Well...it isn't rejecting her...so I guess she can use that one for now." Lubbock said.

"Indeed, the others will be taken in to the Revolution's HQ for research...good work Night Raid...we will hold a memorial service for Bulat in the morning. For now rest up, it's been a long day for everyone."

"Rest up? You're kidding! I want to see what this baby can do!" Sayo said, separating Belvark, swinging the blades with ease. Her smile widened a bit, making Tatsumi gulp.

"Oh great, she was dangerous enough with a quiver of arrows...why the hell does she have to wield the damn axe?" he asked, earning a growl from the girl.

"I'll slice you apart with this Tatsumi, I swear! We need to do our best to become the strong fighters Bulat envisioned us to be. We're the new recruits, let's make him proud!"

"You're right Sayo...we'll make bro proud!" he said cheerfully, glancing down at Incursio. He swore he saw Bulat's smiling face on the blade.

"Now you see why I can't fall in love? It would be too painful to loose someone, Bulat was a close friend...I don't think I'll ever get used to him being gone." Cornelia said, walking toward her bedroom. Zack frowned, shaking his head.

" _I get it, you don't want to take the plunge and I respect that. I guess I'll just stop barking up that tree. Fine, I understand...I'll stop looking at you that way...I guess if it means seeing you alive then it's perfectly alright to stay friends with you."_


	12. Kill the Depression

**A/N:**

 **Hello everyone, and welcome to Chapter 12 of Akame Ga Kill-Blood Rain. I would like to apologize for not posting anything last night. My grandmother had surgery, which was really early in the morning, and I usually go to bed at around five, so I didn't sleep at all. We got here at around two in the afternoon, and when I woke up it was around nine at night. I fell asleep again and didn't wake up until way past midnight, so it was too late to realistically post anything. I haven't written a thing for Akame Ga Kill at all, but I'm glad I planned ahead and wrote some stuff that's ready to post. However, after I post chapter 13, I will stop posting for a bit, so I can write more stuff and also read the manga. Since this is based on the manga story, I have to read the manga volumes and plan my story around the plot, it also helps with dialogue a lot.**

 **I haven't finished Danganronpa V3 yet, I'm so excited to see how the game ends, but I've been super busy, with writing, my grandmother's surgery and all the other home life bullshit, I haven't had time to do anything. I haven't even had time to read fanfiction for inspiration like I usually do...it's been difficult.**

 **But I have excellent news! I will be posting a rather lengthy chapter tonight! All for your reading pleasure, so I do hope you like what I have written. It is mostly original, but will also introduce the Jaegers, at least I think so...I haven't actually read it since I wrote it, funny huh? I usually read my stuff after I post it and then fix the mistakes right after. Not the best system, but hey it works for me. Especially because i fan fix them really quick on my phone.**

 **I would like to thanks all my loyal readers for making this story possible, I write this stuff for you after all. Once I get a good chunk of the way into the story, I will be taking a break to work on Danganronpa, since I wish to finish that series by the end of the year. I said I was going to take a break for a month, and it's already been two and I don't want to keep my readers waiting too long. I've been neglecting Fairy Tail a lot too, but...it just gets so challenging at times, trying to keep it original but also entertaining, it's rather taxing on my mind...but oh well, it's what makes being a writer fun...**

 **So, I leave you with this, another lengthy gore filled chapter of Blood Rain...leave a review if you like it, and remember, stay out of my shed okay?**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 12

Kill the Suffering

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

A couple of months had passed since Bulat had passed on, and life at Night Raid wasn't the same. Many things had happened since the event that took their strongest from them. For one, Hilda had been called back to Versailles on a new assignment, so she wouldn't be coming back for awhile. It had been a rather large blow to the already weakened team. Zack was disappointed he didn't get to spend more time with his twin, but she reassured him that she would be coming back. The mission was of vital importance so she had to fulfill her role. It had been rather quiet with her gone.

Sayo and Tatsumi had also been doing a lot of missions since Bulat had left them. The ravenette had gotten used to Belvark's strength and had gotten quite good with it. She had gained a bit of muscle on her arms, but didn't look overly strong. She could easily hide her strength and not be noticed by the enemy. Tatsumi had also been able to use Incursio for more than a few seconds, making it an invaluable piece of armor. They had taken their training seriously, and trained early in the morning, before anyone else was even awake. Najenda had been worried for the first few days, but figured they were using the training to cope with the loss of their mentor.

It was early in the morning, around eight thirty in fact. Lubbock, Tatsumi and Sayo were training, while Akame and Leone set out to help the two. Cornelia was reading a book, something she hadn't done in quite a long time. The thread user had apparently sold it to her, telling her about the fantasy story that had had been written within. So far she had been enjoying it, so she had given the boy the benefit of the doubt. Mine was currently in the bathhouse, taking her morning bath. Awkwardly enough, Zack had decided to stick with her.

He had grown a bit paranoid, thinking that anyone could attack at any time. So he had decided to spend time with all of his friends during the day, making sure all of them were safe. It had also strengthened his bonds with them, bonds that often times forgot about when he had to take long missions away from the capital. Thankfully, he had been a permanent addition to Night Raid, and wouldn't be requested to head to Veronica for the time being. Not when they had lost two members and one had been called back. He was leaning back against the large boulder, puffing on his cigarette.

Mine had been laying against the same one, only she was sitting inside the hot spring. She had finally gotten around to take off her cast, which she had worn for quite awhile, a reminder of her battle against Seryu. She opened and closed her hand, feeling around it for any misplaced bones. Thankfully, Zack had aligned them all perfectly, so she didn't suffer any consequences from the broken limb.

"Hey Mine, be sure not to get that sling wet." Zack called out, flicking the ashes from his cigarette. He glanced down at Crescent Rose, which was in rifle mode, just in case he needed to shoot someone. In this form it looked like a Barrett .50 cal, and while it would have been heavy so some, it was light as a feather for him.

"Don't worry about it, I just took it off, my arm is completely healed!" she cried back, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"You sure? It hasn't been twelve weeks yet, I don't think it's time for you to take it off." he called back, earning a growl from her.

"I know my own body! I can't feel any pain, and my bones don't move, so it's fucking healed. I'm gonna get dressed so you better not peek!" she cried, moving toward the edge of the tub. He chuckled, putting out the burning cigarette, tossing the butt into the forest.

"As much as I want to take a peek, I'm scared of what you can do now that you can use Pumpkin again." he said, hugging Crescent Rose closely. He engaged the safety, so it wouldn't accidentally discharge.

"Perv, I knew you were that kind of man...then again I am a beautiful lady, so get why you want to take a peek." she said, giggling a bit.

After wrapping her hair up in a towel, she grabbed her pink panties and quickly put them on, followed by her matching pink bra. She smiled a bit, noticing her breasts had gone up a cup size, going from B's to C's, something that made her quite happy. She grabbed her black and pink leggings and started putting them on, glad that she didn't struggle like before.

"Need any help?" the boy called out.

"Thanks but no thanks! I can do it myself, and don't try to feed me tonight either, I can feed myself too!" she cried back, earning a laugh from the boy. He stood up, stretching his limbs, as he glanced at the blue sky above him. He sighed, flicking some dirt and grass from his cloak.

"It's been really quiet since Bro left us...I used to be able to hear his screams of passion from here. Hilda is gone too, so I can't even hang out with my sister anymore, even after all of these years. Guess I just can't catch a break." he said, shrugging it off.

"Um...Zack I have a question for you...how are you and Nelly doing?" Mine suddenly asked.

She secured her skirt onto her waist, making sure the belt was tight. The ruffled skirt was a bit different than what she normally wore. It was something she liked calling a Combat Skirt, even though Leone laughed when she had showed it off the first time around. She grabbed her black tank top, putting it on and smoothing out the wrinkles. She put on a long sleeved pink shirt, with frilled white cuffs, and round black buttons. She heard the boy chuckle, possibly from pondering the question she had asked.

"We're doing fine. Why are you asking this again?" he asked. She slipped on her white and pink boots, lacing them up as fast as she could. She walked out from the bath house, pulling the towel from her hair.

"I ask because you've been hanging around all of us like a mother goose. I figured something happened between the two of you, which made you not want to spend every waking moment with her."

"I have other friends Mine, come on! I just felt the need to strengthen my bonds with all of you...I want to make memories you know...so that I can tell my future friends about the things we all did in Night Raid." he said. She rose a brow, securing her shawl around her shoulders, trying the pink ribbon into a bow. Zack noticed it was the one he had bought her, which she hadn't even worn yet.

"Future friends? By that you mean your kids right? Thinking that far ahead already?" she asked curiously. He gave her a slight nod, finding his teigu more interesting.

"I think we all want to think about that stuff while we're young. Me and Hilda turned eighteen four days after Bro left us, we didn't want to say anything because of what happened. But that's also when I started thinking about the future. I spoke to Nelly, and the idiot...she doesn't want to get into a relationship because she doesn't want to disappoint her lover by dying." he said firmly.

"That's stupid. Seeing Sheele and Bulat pass on should be more than enough of a reason to want to do that. I mean, wouldn't you not want to die a virgin?" she asked, running her brush through her hair a few times.

He shook his head, flicking his wrist. Crescent Rose returned to it's travel mode, and he sheathed it behind his back. He grabbed the brush from her hand and walked behind her, starting the process of brushing her long pink locks. He had to ponder this question a bit, due to the fact that it had validity. He was an assassin, so he didn't want to die without experiencing one of life's most pleasurable activities. Hell, he hadn't even kiss a girl, so he couldn't get that far. He hummed to himself, his focus back on his task.

"You're right...I wouldn't want to die a virgin loser...I mean come on, imagine my tomb stone. Here lies Zack Wayne, Night Raid Master Assassin, killed in the Line of Duty. Poor virgin bastard...they would probably put an erect penis on my casket just to spite me." he said. Mine started laughing, not bothering to cover her mouth at all. She clutched her sides, bending down a bit as her shoulders shook with mirth.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Oh my god, I can totally see someone doing that. If it comes to that and I'm still alive, I'll make sure it doesn't happen." she said, wiping the tear away from her eye. The boy sighed, reaching into her pocket for her hair ties.

"Thanks, that's so reassuring." he said, using the violet ribbon to tie one long strand. He did the same with the sparkly black scrunchie, running his fingers through the pig tail to make sure it was free of knots.

"But you have to admit, I do bring up a good point. Knowing Leone, she's already tasted that side of life. Najenda is older than us, so I'm sure she hit it off with some soldier. Akame is too serious to have a boyfriend, Lubbock is a pervert and Tatsumi and Sayo are most likely already dating, even though they deny it." She said.

"And where do we stand in this? Are we gonna stay single, or are we gonna recruit us some members to date?" he asked, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Shut up! Just thinking of new recruits pisses me off...I'll admit, Tatsumi and Sayo have grown strong, they're part of the family now. But just thinking of two new people replacing Sheele and Bulat...it pisses me off!" the pinkette cried angrily.

"You know it's gonna happen right? We lost three members, leaving us at seven. We had numbers, now we're just...without two of our stronger members...and without two friends. Najenda is leaving for HQ today, to take those two teigu we recovered, she said something about picking up two more members." he said. Mine sighed, turning to face the boy.

"I know...I just have to make the best of it. You and Cornelia are the last two of the original group, before Lubbo and Bulat joined...it's gonna be hard getting used to it." she said. He nodded, looking at her brush. He noticed the name written on it, or rather the faded letters that spelled out a name.

"Your full name is Wilhemina?" he asked curiously. The girl flushed, swiping the brush out of his hands.

"Tell no one. I never liked my full name, so I shortened it to Mine, get it?" she asked, stomping toward the training grounds.

"Can I call you Mina then?" he asked. She let out a mumble under her breath, giving him a slight nod. He smiled a bit, glad that he and Mine were getting along better than before.

The two of them entered the training grounds, hearing the sounds of training. They saw Tatsumi and Lubbock doing a set of push ups, but of course they weren't normal push ups. Akame and Leone were both sitting on their backs, adding a bit of weight every time they pushed up. Sayo was training with a staff, her focus unbroken by the strain of the boys. She spun the bamboo rod with precision, aiming the ends of them outward. She planted the staff on the ground and let out a cry, throwing a high kick, shattering the pot she had placed on top of the training dummy. She let out a sigh, wiping her forehead with her shirt.

"Well shit, you guys are going hard!" Zack said, a look of admiration on his face.

"Duh...we have to...train hard. Now that...bro is gone...you, me and Tats...are the only guys left...we gotta...protect the girls." Lubbock said, his face strained from the weight on his back.

"He's right...we have to...give it our all...bro would want us too...train daily." Tatsumi added.

"Ahuh...but I see a flaw in this method...for one, there's a weight difference between Akame and Leone. Since she's taller, that means she naturally weighs more...you should average out Akame's weight with Leone's so that you can add more weight...that way you'll both be able to gain more strength from each set." Zack said.

"Did you just call me fat?" Akame asked, earning a laugh from Cornelia.

"He didn't call either of you fat, he's not stupid enough to say that." she said. Zack hummed to himself, looking between Akame and Cornelia, a smile on his face.

"Maybe the weight ratio all depends on the mass of their breasts. Yes that's it...so if we average out how much more mass Leone has in her breasts and compare it to that of Cornelia, we should be able to get how much more weight we need to put on Akame. That's right, yes...Mina hand me a pencil and some paper...I think I can crack out this equation." he said.

"Excuse me for a second." Cornelia said, setting her book down as she cracked her knuckles. Zack looked up from the ground, seeing his pissed off partner in front of him. He gave her a smile.

"Hey, something the matter?" he asked. She didn't say anything, her arm snapping toward his face. He reacted quickly, grabbing a hold of her arm, flipping her onto her back.

"What...what the fuck?" she cried, stunned at what had happened. He gave her a grin.

"You aren't the only one who's been training hard. Big bro had a lot of books in his room, all detailing several martial arts. Let's just say I picked up a thing or two. Anyway, what exactly do you want to do Mina?" he asked, glancing at the pinkette. She sighed, still not used to her new nickname.

"I just...want to learn hand to hand...I'm a sniper, but now that I lost Sheele, I know that just being good with a gun isn't good enough. Nowhere near good enough." she admitted, glancing at the ground.

"We can easily train you up Mine. Bulat trained the both of us, so we can definitely teach you how to defend yourself. It wouldn't be a bad idea to carry a side arm too, just in case." Cornelia said, brushing the dirt off her jeans. Lubbock let out a defeated sigh, falling to the ground, panting from the strain.

"I give...that's enough." he said, earning a chuckle from Leone.

"Aw, you did good. Nowhere near enough as Tatsumi, but you did well." she said, ruffling his hair.

"Well, it's just as Zack said. There's an obvious weight difference." Akame said firmly. Everyone just stood there, faces white as a sheet. Leone cracked her knuckles, slamming her fist onto her head, earning a confused look from the girl who now had a lump on her head.

"Ah, you're all here...good."

"Hey boss, what's up with the pack?" Tatsumi asked, wiping his face with a spare towel. She had packed quite a large bag, filled with various materials and other necessities.

"I'm gonna be heading off to HQ. I'll be taking the teigu that you recovered from the Three Beasts as well. Since Belvark accepted Sayo as it's new wielder, we'll be keeping it here. I also plan to grab some new recruits to fill the empty spots that have been left." She said firmly.

"I'm sorry...I've been so weak all this time." Tatsumi muttered. Sayo slugged him in the head, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Shame on you! You haven't even seen how strong you've gotten, Bulat would be disappointed if you started calling yourself weak." she snapped, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Ow...that massive boost in strength you got for wielding Belvark really does show. I think my head is cracked open." he said, rubbing the new bruise.

"Don't worry Tatsumi, you aren't weak...in fact you've shown a great deal of improvement since you've join. Same with you Sayo...which is why I'm giving you an assignment before I leave." Najenda said, earning a curious look from the ravenette.

"An assignment?" she asked.

"The town of Tensui has been completely decimated...it was a town responsible for sending money to the Rebel Army. There are signs of assassins working for the Empire around the village, and there have been reports of prisoners being held there. You're mission is to slip in and kill them all." she said.

"Kill the assassins? By myself?" she asked, earning a chuckle from the woman.

"Not at all, Zack and Mine have become wanted in the Capital, so they shall assist you. It is a rather simple mission, all you have to do is free the prisoners and ensure they are sent toward Shirotsume, where they will receive transport to various other cities. Can you handle it?" the woman asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"Of course I can! Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low!" she said confidently. The woman nodded, drawing a cigarette from her pack.

"Well then, I leave Akame in charge. Think of this as an exercise, work together is the theme of it." she said firmly.

"I wish I could do something more...even with all of this training, I can't activate Incursio's invisibility." Tatsumi said, frowning a bit. Najenda exhaled a cloud of smoke, closing her lone eye.

"The Three Beasts you defeated, were the axis of Esdeath's power. You were able to beat them and attain their teigus...that isn't an easy feat. We may have lost Bulat in the battle, but he knew you had what it took. He knew you were going to grow stronger, and you'll continue growing. He was hoping to see that one day." she said.

"Bro...don't worry, I promise to keep training hard!" the boy said, bowing his head.

"Be proud of yourself Tatsumi! Keep working hard, so you can become the man he saw in you." the woman said, giving them a wave as she grabbed her pack and coat. She sighed, glancing at the sky.

" _Still, we are a little under manned. If the information Leone got in the capital is accurate...Esdeath is amassing an army of only teigu users. We have to do something."_ she thought, puffing her cigarette, a frown on her face.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Capital xxx**_

A young man was walking around the main street of the capital, having finally arrived from his rather distant town. He was looking around the big city, enjoying all of the new sights he hadn't seen before. He was wearing something that he hoped would make him look cool. He wore a black, long sleeved coat with a mink collar. Underneath he wore a black and white shirt with a turtle neck, and an anchor printed just below it. He wore a pair of black jeans and matching white boots, slung across his shoulder was a bag, filled with all of his personal effects.

He had long spiked hair and bright blue eyes. He had been enlisted in the Navy and have been working with them for quite awhile. Now that he was twenty, he had been promoted to a new position, thus leading him to come to the capital. Across his waist was his weapon of choice, a black and blue cutlass with a long chain coming from the hilt. It had been his partner for quite awhile.

"Ah, finally, the capital. It's been quite awhile but I finally made it...I did my best to pick out clothes that didn't make me look like a hick. My parents gave me all of this awesome seafood for my new collegues...but even then, I still feel out of place." he muttered, glancing around the town.

" _It doesn't matter if he dresses cool, he's still a hick."_

" _Ha! Look at that boy, what a bumpkin."_

" _I didn't think they had fish in the boonies!"_

" _Hey momma look, a hillbilly!"_

" _Darren, that isn't nice, don't point at people."_

"I somehow feel like I'm not gonna fit in." the young man muttered, lowering his head a bit.

He continued onward, purchasing a few trinkets at some of the local stands. He caught some of the wanted posters he had seen posted around the city, most of them were the members of Night Raid, wanted dead or alive for many crimes. He had seen that one of them had been a previous General in the army, and one boy had at least five hundred confirmed kills. It made him worry a bit, but he knew he could defend himself.

Finally arriving at the palace, he continued following the map he had been given, wondering if it was the right place. He had been a bit intimidated by the large stone structure, but he knew whatever awaited him there was going to be better than his previous work.

"Come on, no need to be nervous! I've fought danger beasts of the sea, and handled many a pirate during my time in the Navy! I shouldn't fear my new colleagues!" he said, reaching for the door handle. He walked into the room, looking around.

His eyes caught the only figure sitting in the room. He didn't know how to describe the man. He was wearing a white mask, with black markings on it. The mask completely blocked his eyes nose and mouth. The mouse piece was some sort of respirator, which he could hear from across the room. He was wearing some sort of fire retardant shirt, along with black and white pants and matching boots. He didn't say a single thing to the young man, who rapidly turned around.

"Pardon me, I think I'm lost. Sorry for the intrusion." he said, quickly leaving. He slid down to the tiled floor, his bag falling beside him.

"What the hell was that? He was just sitting there...am I even in the right place?" he asked himself, reaching for the map. He turned it around, glancing back at the door.

"This is the place but...that guy, he's so weird. Is this the weirdness of the capital my folks warned me about? What am I saying, he's my colleague! I'll just try not to rile him up!" he said cheerfully. He grabbed his bag and walked into the room, swallowing hard as he walked toward the table. He picked the seat furthest from him, placing his things on the floor beside him.

He heard some heavy breathing and glanced toward the man, who now turned to face him. He shuddered a bit, glancing at the polished wooden table, seeing his own frightened expression on his face.

" _Calm down Wave, this is nothing! He's not gonna attack you...but goddamn is he weird...fuck this, I wanna go home! I can't hold my own against the waters of the capital!"_

He jumped a bit when he heard the door open. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a black haired girl confidently striding into the room. She looked almost like a school girl, especially with the uniform she was wearing. She was holding a weapon in her hands, a katana it seemed. She walked toward the table, taking the seat across from the masked man. She sat down in the chair, placing a bag on the top, which read "Kurome's Candy" on it.

" _Uh...this girl looks normal but...looks can be deceiving."_ Wave thought to himself. The girl, Kurome, reached for a piece of candy from inside the back, placing it into her mouth. She turned to face Wave, pulling the bag closer to herself.

"You can't have any." she said, though it came out a bit muffled.

"Oh uh...it's alright, I don't want anything. My name is Wave, I guess you got called in because you have a teigu of your own right?" he asked.

"Mhmm...don't bother buttering me up, I still won't give you any." she said calmly, pulling another piece from her bag.

" _Fuck, she's weird too...what the hell is all this? A school girl who's a glutton, and a masked man who won't stop staring and won't say a damn word. What is this?"_ the man thought to himself. He let out a surprised yelp when the door was kicked in, a bit of fog flowing into the room.

"Pardon the intrusion! My name is Seryu Ubiquitous from the Capital Garrison, and this is Koro!" she cried cheerfully, the dog beside her whining a bit.

" _Finally, a serious candidate...wait...what's with the flowers?"_ Wave asked himself. The woman fell to a knee, throwing all of the petals into the air, filling the room with the scent of flowers. A chuckle filled the room, as another man walked in.

He looked to be in his late twenties, and was quite handsome. He was wearing a pair of thin glasses on his face, his hair styled carefully. He wore a pressed black suit, with a black neckerchief secured around his neck. He wore a matching pair of slacks and polished leather shoes. Over his ensemble he wore a white lab coat. He had a pair of weird metallic gloves on his hands.

"Taking care with one's first introduction, is the most stylish etiquette a man can have." he said proudly.

" _Now it's a Nancy?"_ Wave screamed in his mind. The man let out a soft laugh, glancing at him.

"Oh my, from the looks of your clothes, I can tell you are just another country bumpkin. But even then you've got the charm, I'll definitely polish you up, I'm looking forward to it. The name is Stylish, but you can call me Doctor." he said, a smirk tugging his lips.

" _What the fuck? The Doctor's got a thing for me?"_

"Hello, sorry I'm late, I hope that isn't a bother." a soft voice said. Wave looked up, seeing a seemingly normal man walking into the room.

He was wearing a white kimono style shirt, which he left a bit open. He wore a pair of black pants, secured with a belt who had a rather fancy buckle. He wore a matching pair of boots, he had a feather sticking out of his blonde hair, and had a leather bound book in his hands.

"Yo, the name's Wave...nice to meet ya!" the man greeted, completely spent from the events taking place within the room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Run, I hope we can get along." he said cheerfully. Wave stood up, giving the man a smile.

"Finally, you're the most normal one here! I am definitely gonna get along great with you!" he said cheerfully. The masked man stood up, clearing his throat as he reached for a platter.

"Sorry to be so rude...I prepared some tea before hand. I'm sorry, I was the first one here, yet I didn't say anything to you...even though I'm older than everyone here, I'm rather bashful! I shouldn't be like this." he said, placing a cup of steaming tea before everyone.

"Hey man, it's alright...I shouldn't have walked out of the room either." Wave said, taking a sip from his tea. He was surprised at the taste, he could tell it was a blend of Green tea, Peppermint tea and Lemon Grass, giving it a unique flavor.

"My name is Bols, I'm from the Incineration Squad, and have my own teigu as well. I hope we can all get along!" he said, giving them all a smile, though it wasn't visible due to his mask.

"The Incineration Squad...a stylish group of individuals responsible for torching whole villages. That would explain the looks." Dr. Stylish said, taking a sip from his tea.

The door suddenly flung open, startling everyone in the room. A masked woman walked in, her lengthy hair trailed behind her like a curtain. They all looked at her with a look of uncertainty, wondering just who she was. She muttered something to herself, before pointing at those gathered before her.

"I don't recognize you six! Who are you?" she snapped.

"Whoa whoa whoa...we were all called her to the capital. We aren't doing anything wrong." Wave said, standing up from his seat. The woman ran right at him, slamming her foot into his chest. He hit the ground so hard the tiles cracked. He wheezed in pain, unable to even move.

"Some of your targets will be assassins. You must always be on your guard!" she cried, heading right toward Run. The man jumped back, avoiding every punch and kick thrown at him.

" _He's quite fast, but not fast enough."_ the woman thought. She came to a stop, grabbing Seryu's arm, throwing her straight into the wall, a stunned look on her face. She held her hand up, freezing Koro who tried taking a bite from her shoulder.

"Attacking from behind? You were to overt with your intentions." she said firmly. Kurome dashed forward, drawing her katana with blinding speed, slashing the woman across the face. Her mask crumbled to the floor, as she used her hand to hold onto what was left of it.

"That teigu...it's name is Yatsufasa...I have to be careful, a slash from that sword is quite dangerous." she said.

"General Esdeath?" Bols cried out, a look of shock on his face, again being covered by his mask. Wave sat up, his teeth grit in pain.

"Ow...even our boss is crazy?" he muttered.

"I brought you some uniforms, I need you to be ready in five minutes." she said, placing a bag on the table top. She left the room right after, leaving the six teigu wielders stunned.

Five minutes passed, and Wave, along with everyone else were wearing matching black suits. The boy had to admit, it was a rather lavish outfit. It did suit him quite a bit, and looking at the rest of his colleagues, it fit them quite well. Dr. Stylish was posing a bit as he walked, making him look like the oddball of the group. Bols was still out of place, even with his suit, he still wore his mask, making him stand out more than the others.

"We're you surprised? I felt the need to test all of you. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure you all become strong. But I assure you, you will be the best of the best." Esdeath said firmly, earning nods from the teigu users.

"Don't worry boss, I'm used to rough handling like that." Wave said firmly.

"Thanks for your guidance! We've learned quite a lot from you." Seryu said, hugging Koro tightly in her arms. The woman smiled, turning to face them.

"Alright, I've arranged a meet and greet with the Emperor."

"Meeting the Emperor already? It's only our first day." the black haired man said, earning a smile from the woman.

"I'd like to take care of some troublesome business first. After that, we can properly break you all in." she said, her voice becoming a bit ominous at the end.

"Madam Esdeath, our team...does it have a name?" Dr. Stylish asked, earning a smirk from the woman.

"Indeed, we are the new security squad...our name, the Jaegers." she said firmly.

"The Jaegers...I like the sound of that." Wave said, he was looking forward to his new position within the capital.

 _ **xxx Location: Outskirts of the Capital: Village of Tensui xxx**_

The three assassins grimaced a bit when they arrived at the outskirts of Tensui. For one the village was surrounded by the lingering scent of death. There was a pile of bodies stacked in the middle of the village, all of them already half rotted. There were some Imperial Soldiers doing rounds in the city, along with a few men from the Incineration Squad, carrying around large flamethrowers with them. Most of the houses in the village were intact, while others were completely demolished, or burnt to the ground. There wasn't a single sign of the prisoners, but they knew there were people alive.

One man had been pulling several children along, all of them chained next to each other. Some screams from the surviving women could be heard as well, along with some gunshots, meaning some prisoners were either being tortured or raped. It made for a very pressing situation, one that the Night Raid members needed to handle with great care. They had been waiting in the forest outside of the village, having seen a border patrol walking around the town, rifles at the ready.

"Alright, how do you want to do this?" Mine asked softly, glancing at Zack, who was glancing around the area with his telescope. He frowned a bit, giving the sniper a shrug.

"Don't know...there's plenty of Imperial Soldiers, Incineration Squad members and Gunners...it's a pressing situation." he said softly.

"We gotta move, before more people are killed." Sayo said, earning a nod from them.

The archer turned axe wielder had gotten herself a brand new outfit, since she had decided to get more serious with her missions. She wanted to hold onto her roots as a village maiden, so she had gotten everything custom made.

She was wearing a white sleeveless tank top, which cut off right below her breasts, leaving her midriff completely exposed. She had an armor plate over her breasts, gold in color and polished to a shine. The outer edge was black, and had white flowers printed on it. She was wearing a pair of black pants, with plated armor around her thighs which was a polished white color with flowers etched into it. She wore a protective plate over her pelvis, with a golden eagle on it.

Her pants were tight fitting, and also had an inner lining made completely from chain mail. She had her short sword attached to her belt behind her back, in case she needed it. She also had her quiver placed behind her back, several metal arrows ready to be used. She was wearing a pair of black boots, which had white flowers printed over it. She wore matching braces on her arms, which extended upward to her elbows, and kept her arms well protected from sword strikes. Her hair had also been picked up, and styled into two matching buns, the excess falling down to her mid back. A beautiful golden comb held her hair in place. Slung across her back was Belvark, the axe she had gotten as her personal teigu, and the one Daidara of the Three Beasts had previously used.

"We go in now, while the iron is hot...there are only two guys guarding the east side, we take them out and hide in the abandoned houses, picking them silently one by one, until they're all dead." Sayo said softly. Her grip on her bow tightened a bit, a soft giggle escaping her lips.

"I never thought I would say something like that...I truly have become an assassin." she said, licking her lips.

"Finally getting used to it? It's a nice feeling right? You get a rush flowing through your veins, heart beating faster than a hummingbird...god I love it." the boy said, chuckling a bit.

"Be serious! We need to do something right now, before our spot is compromised." Mine hissed through grit teeth.

"Okay, alright...Sayo is our team leader, so she's gonna decide what to do. Go ahead sweetheart, your call." he said, earning a nod from the black haired woman. She reached behind her back, pulling out a mask from her quiver.

It was a beautiful white butterfly mask, lined with black markings through it. The eye holes were black in color, making it look almost like eye shadow. It had pointed corners, and shined with a glossy finish. It was a swallowtail style mask, so the small tails fell down the sides of her cheeks, curling inward. She looked quite good with it, an added a mysterious vibe to her outfit. Zack smirked, following suit with his own mask, placing it over the burned side of his face.

"Hey no fair, I don't have a mask!" Mine snapped, earning a chuckle from the boy. He pulled out a mask from within his holster, it was actually Cornelia's mask, which he had asked for before they had left.

"Here, Nelly isn't here, so you'll be my other half." he said. She nodded, placing the mask on the left side of her face.

"You wanna know something, I think we should adopt the masked look...I mean, if we used masks, people wouldn't have figured out who we were...would have saved us a lot of trouble." Zack said.

"No use crying over spilled blood. Come on, we need to hurry."

"No worries...why bother going after our enemies when we can attract them to us." Sayo said, a playful smirk on her face. She reached for an arrow, setting it up on her bow. Zack looked at it, seeing the blue firecracker attached to it.

"I get it, a good old fashioned noise maker...nice." he said. Mine hummed to herself, quite impressed with the over all idea. Sayo pulled out a lighter and flicked it on, lighting the fuse. She took aim at the nearest house, the arrow stabbing right into the outer post. A loud pop filled the area, catching the attention of the nearby guards.

" _What was that?"_

" _Hell if I know...it came from over here...let's go check it out."_

"Hook, line and sinker." the archer said softly, raising her bow again. The two men noticed the arrow sticking out of the post and started looking around, unable to see anything. One of them turned to face the woods, only for an arrow to slam into his eye.

"Holy shit!" the second man cried, only to be silenced a second later.

"Nice...I'm really liking this new Sayo." Zack said, walking out from behind the tree. He lowered himself down, holding his pistol tightly in his hand.

"Let's move." Mine said, dashing toward the village. The three Night Raid assassins moved toward the darkened village, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. There were torches on every street, making it hard to keep to dark.

Zack pressed himself against the house, reaching for the arrow Sayo had used previously. He tossed it back to the ravenette who easily caught it, setting it up. She rose her bow, clicking her tongue as she saw another guard rounding the corner. He saw the two deceased guards and started running toward them. When he got close, she let the arrow fly, the snap of the bow silently marking the beginning of its flight. The man let out a cry, falling back as the arrow sailed through his head.

"Damn, you got some power behind those." Zack said softly.

"Bogeys to our left." Mine said, earning a nod from the two assassins. They saw a pair of Imperial Soldiers walking toward them. Zack gave a nod to Sayo, who reached for Belvark, pulling it apart with ease, a few sparks dancing between the blades. He softly counted down from three, dashing out of his cover. He shot at the first man, disorienting them both. They reached for their swords, as soon as he dashed back into the house.

"Drop your weapons, now!" one of them cried. Sayo let out a giggle, stepping out of the shadows.

"Hey boys, do you wanna play a game?" she asked, causing them to look in her direction. With a soft cry, she threw one of the axes forward. It spun through the air, humming loudly as it flew. The two men rose their swords to parry it, only for the axe to slice both of them clean in half. It started flying back toward Sayo, who caught it with ease.

"That was too close idiot! The others could have heard us!" Mine said, earning a sigh from Zack.

"Come on Mina, let her have some fun." he said, earning a glare from her.

They continued moving silently through the town, being careful not to bring too much attention to themselves. Sayo and Zack were able to handle the silent kills, using various noises to attract people toward them. However when they took care of all of the outer areas, and moved toward the center of the village, they noticed just how many people were actually gathered there.

There was an entire Gunner Squad, all of them sitting around a fire that was next to a large pile of bodies in the very center of the town. They all looked quite content with being there, eating and drinking like it was another day at work. Zack noticed all of the bullet holes in the nearby buildings, it wasn't hard for him to figure out most of the villagers were killed by them.

A loud hiss filled their ears, and they looked toward the left side of the central plaza, seeing a large torrent of flame, sprouting from the weapons of the Incineration Squad. They were using their massive flamethrowers to burn some of the bodies. A few screams could be heard coming from the pile, confirming that some people were indeed alive. This made Zack's blood boil with rage. He growled under his breath, reaching for Crescent Rose's hand, which automatically extended for him to use.

"Hey, keep it together...I know you have a gripe with those Incineration Squads, but we can't give away our position, not when there are that many people here." Mine said, earning a sigh from the boy.

"Fine, but if I see them kill more people, I'm going in." he said, earning a nod from the pinkette.

"This is gonna be hard...I count at least forty guys here, twenty of them being gunners...I can get a few of them with Belvark, but we'd be found out easily." Sayo said.

"Right, and you aren't ready for your trump card yet...hmm...Mina, can you wipe half of them out in a single surprise attack?" he asked.

"Duh...but I have to be in a pinch for that to work." she said.

"Done...get ready." he said, earning a curious look from the boy. He walked toward the other end of the house, quickly dashing up the stairs. Mine swallowed hard, taking a deep breath as she readied Pumpkin.

"Goddamn it." Sayo hissed, grabbing Belvark from the ground beside her. She slipped her arm through the straps on the middle part, holding it as a shield, while she pulled her steel sword from behind her back.

Zack reached the second floor of the house. He looked around the bedroom, realizing it had once belonged to a little kid, one that was most likely dead. He heard a laugh from outside and peeked through the broken window, seeing the men were all laughing at something. He narrowed his eyes a bit, noticing what they were laughing at. A person was dragging themselves across the ground, their flesh partially burned. They were screaming in pain, or at least trying too since their vocal cords were burned. He heard one man say something about misery, before a gunshot echoed through the plaza, the body dropping to the ground, lifeless. He licked his lips, reaching for his teigu.

"That fucker just signed his death warrant." he muttered, holding the crimson rifle to his shoulder.

He looked through the scope, lining up his sights. The man seemed to be laughing, waving his gun around for some reason. Zack slowly exhaled, grinning like a madman. He pulled the trigger, the large round burst through the unbroken window, flying directly at its target. The man's head exploded from the large round, making him smile even wider. He ejected the spent round, taking aim at one of the Incinerators, who was looking around with the rest of his squad. He pulled the trigger, the loud gunshot bouncing off the wooden walls. Like the previous man, the Incinerator fell to the ground dead.

"It's coming from this house, hurry...return fire!" someone shouted. The Gunners quickly jumped to their feet, unloading a hail of gunfire at the house. Zack threw himself to the floor, pulling the mattress off the bed frame, using it as cover.

"Heh, there's the pinch I was looking for. Get ready to witness greatness Sayo, alright Pumpkin, let's give it our all!" Mine cried.

The rifle started whirling loudly, glowing a brilliant gold as it charged up. The pinkette let out a laugh as she pulled the trigger, unleashing all of the energy at once, the black rifle flying back from the recoil. The blast of energy was powerful enough to not only burn a hole through the house, but also to kill all of the Gunners currently aiming at them. Mine panted a bit, jumping back into the shadows with Sayo, just as the whole half of the house fell down, the support beams being unable to hold its weight.

"Holy shit, what the hell was that?" one man cried.

"It was a teigu! It must be Night Raid!"

"Split up and search for them, I want their heads right here, right now! No one leaves this place alive!" the commander cried. He heard a chuckle, and turned around, looking at the roof of a nearby house.

"You're right, no one is leaving here alive. It would be such a shame to let such a wonderful band of soldiers go home to their family and loved ones." Zack said, his cloak flicking behind him. The disk of the fullmoon was right behind him, making his presence even more frightening, especially because his eyes were glowing red.

"Night Raid, you're transgressions against the crown end here! Open fire!" the commander cried, the remaining gunners took aim, firing at the boy. He smirked, back flipping right off the chimney he had been sitting on. He let out a laugh as he sailed through the air, his cloak whipping around him.

He spun around in mid air, throwing Crescent Rose down as hard as he could, making the men back away from the weapon. He spun around, tucking his legs in to soften the impact. He reached for his shotgun, firing it at the nearest person, that being an Imperial Soldier. His head exploded from the slug, his body falling down with a slight bang due to his heavy armor. He cocked it and took aim pulling the trigger again, blowing apart a man's knee. He fired a third round as the man fell, nailing him in the side of the neck.

"Don't just stand there morons! Fucking fire at him!" the commander cried.

He let out a gasp as Zack closed the distance, his eyes narrowed in anger. He punched the man right in the gut, the impact being softened by his armor. He turned around, aiming a kick at his chest, causing the man to fall back. He let out a howl of pain as the tip of Crescent Rose stabbed through his shoulder. The cloaked boy ran forward, taking a hold of the weapon. He swung it around, sending the man flying into the pile of bodies, which was still on fire from the Incineration Squad. His screams of agony filled the plaza, as he jumped out of the pile, his clothes still on fire.

"Let's put him out of his misery eh?" the boy cried, firing his last shell into the man's head. He fell lifeless to the ground, startling the remaining men.

"F-follow the last order! Kill this man and bring him to justice!" another brave man cried, opening fire on Zack, who ducked back into the shadows.

Sayo tried to shake off what she had just seen from her mind, as she dashed forward toward a nearby Knight. She slashed her sword at the back of his knee, causing him to fall down, howling in pain. She rose her sword, splitting his head apart with a single swing. She rose Belvark up in time to defend herself from the hail of gunfire aimed at her. The bullets ricocheted and sparked on contact, making her back up a bit. All of the remaining gunners finally ran out of ammo, causing them to back up.

"Reloading!" one man cried.

"Oh, well you look at that, the only thing that makes guns useless!" Sayo said, pulling Belvark apart.

"That weapon, you stole it from Daidara! Return it at once you heathen, you shall pay your dues in hell!" one man shouted.

Sayo took aim at him, throwing the axe full force. It sailed right through him, his body falling apart. It spun through the air, decapitating all of the Gunners, who had finally managed to reload. Sayo caught the axe with ease, putting it back together.

"Sayo, the Incineration Squad is preparing their guns, we need to take them out now!" Mine cried, returning fire. She had been dealing with some rather tricky gunners that had managed to hide behind the town well. Her spirit bullets were having trouble piercing the rocks, so she had resorted to covering the others.

"I got them." the girl cried, running forward with great speed, jumping over all of the bodies of the deceased Imperial Soldiers and Gunners.

She had gotten far more agile due to her training, and had built her stamina up to run for long distances. Thanks to what she had learned from Bulat, she had been able to perfect some more advanced dodging techniques. While it would have been impossible to perform a handspring with Belvark normally, she had been able to flawlessly pull it off. She kicked off the nearby wall, holding the axe above her head. With a shout, she slammed it down on one of the Incinerators, slicing him cleanly in half, ducking away before the tank exploded.

"Night Raid, you shall pay for this!" one brave man cried, running right at her with his sword. She blocked his strike with ease, driving her foot right into his chin, causing him to fly back for a few feet. She shook her head, slamming her axe into his head.

"Lubbock is right, this job does suck...that one was actually kinda cute." she said, a frown on her face.

Zack dashed forward, swinging his scythe at the man, who had been keeping up with him. He had somehow been able to use a gun to defend himself quite well. Something he had called Gun-kata, or the art of fighting hand to hand with a gun. The man easily dodged it, firing several rounds at the boy, managing to tear his cloak a bit. The Scythe wielder panted a bit, his locks drenched with sweat.

"So, you must be the one I heard about, legend has it there's a boy who runs around with a red cloak, calls himself the Reaper. He takes revenge against the crown for the crimes we commit, by slicing his victim apart with a scythe. Zack the Reaper."

"Guess you know who I am...you know I can't let you live now." he said, grinning widely.

"Go on then boy, take my life, it won't be easy!" he said, dashing forward, raising his rifle. Zack spun his scythe around, blocking all of the bullets he could, slicing most of them apart while deflecting others.

" _This guy is tough...I haven't met someone who can smile like that on the battlefield in awhile...this makes it more fun!"_ he thought to himself.

He let out a battle cry, planting his foot onto the ground as he swung his weapon. The man jumped right over it, the blade slicing through the air. He took aim at Zack, hoping to riddle him with bullet, only the boy fired a round from his weapon, causing the blade to come back full circle. The man flipped out of the way, his ponytail being sliced by the teigu.

"I'll admit, you almost had me there boy...but I ain't gonna let you live!" he said.

"Wait a minute...do me a solid and tell me your name. You know mine, why not return the gesture?" Zack said, keeping his scythe slightly raised. The man chuckled, cocking his head back.

"The name's Negan...and I'm going to shut this shit down, no exceptions!" he said, dashing at the cloaked man once more. Three simultaneous explosions rung through the air, the hiss of fire filling the plaza. Zack's leg twitched a bit as he dashed forward, swinging his scythe at the man.

Negan dodged the attack entirely, aiming his rifle at Zack, who barely dodged the round. He jumped forward, shifting his weapon into its rifle mode, quickly turning around. He fired three shots at Negan, choosing to use spirit energy instead of actual rounds. It also meant he didn't have to eject spent shell casings, making it slightly easier to fight.

"You almost had me lad, but this is it! I'm gonna tear you a new one." Negan said, opening fire on Zack, who ducked and weaved dodging all of the fire he could. He felt one of the bullets pierce his leg, making him fall to the ground. Negan let out a chuckle, aiming at his head, as he was about to fire, a large axe flew right in front of him, slicing the rifle in half. It fell apart in his hands, stunning the man.

"What the hell?" he cried, glancing at the weapon that had embedded itself onto the ground. He grit his teeth, reaching for his side arm, only it was to late. He felt Zack's scythe at his neck, a trickle of blood running down his throat.

"Consider your debt to the underworld settled." he said, pulling the trigger of his scythe. The recoil had sent the blade spinning around, slicing his head clean off. The body fell to the ground, blood splashing in all directions.

"Nice hustle, thanks for covering my ass." he said, glancing at the ravenette, who walked past him to pick up her weapon.

"Sure thing, we have to look after our own." she said, giving him a wink. A loud gunshot tore through the air, and they turned to face Mine who had her Desert Eagle aimed at a now deceased man.

"You were right about that side arm Zack, it really comes in handy." she said, shoving the gun into her holster.

"Looks like all of them are dead, but we can't be too sure. Let's do another sweep while searching for the hostages." the boy said. The two girls nodded, and started to sweep through the village.

It took them around twenty minutes to sweep every building and take down the last remaining watchmen, finally setting the prisoners free. There were thirty men left total in the village, along with fourteen women, and fifteen children, out of a village that once had over two thousand people living in it. All of the women and children were crying, staring at the piles of dead bodies, some identifying loved ones, or friends. Zack walked toward the strongest of the men, giving him a nod.

"Thank you, for freeing all of us...you must be the Reaper right?"

"Zack Wayne of Night Raid. We swept the whole town, and have taken down every Imperial Guard, Knight, Gunner and Incinerator left. I would like to give my condolences for all of your losses." he said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Thank you, we are greatly in your debt. We will compensate you in any way you with for this, men, gather whatever money remains in the city, give it to these wonderful youngsters who have saved us all." the man cried out, earning similar cries from the others. They each grabbed a rifle from a fallen gunner, moving through the village.

"Sir, you don't have to do that for us. Take those funds and get out of here...we gathered all of the horses and carts belonging to the Imperial Soldiers that were stationed here. Take this map and head to Shirotsume, there are some soldiers of the Rebel Army awaiting your arrival." Mine said, handing the man the paper.

"But we can't not pay you...you did us an incredible service!"

"And you did us a service before. You're trade lead you to form an alliance with the Rebel Army, and that lead to the slaughter of your villagers...we cannot ask for payment for something so horrible. You need it more than we do, go, before first light. I'm sure someone already blew the whistle, it won't be long until they come." Zack said firmly.

"Night Raid, we're moving out! This mission is accomplished!" Sayo said firmly. Zack and Mine nodded, bidding farewell to the villagers before racing through the woods, disappearing into the night.


	13. Kill the Danger

**A/N:**

 **Hello everyone, and welcome to Chapter 13 of Akame Ga Kill-Blood Rain! Sorry for not posting anything, I was enthralled by Danganronpa V3, and let's say...that game was...interesting. Kodaka outdid himself with the plot this time, the bastard really knows how to make me scream at my television in the dead of the night. But I loved the game regardless, even with the bullshit that emanated in each fucking chapter. Sheesh, this was a game that made me get pissed off with every chapter, no matter what...until the end...it was a wild fucking ride.**

 **Anyway, I have decided to take a break from Akame Ga Kill for a bit...yeah that's right...I'm not continuing this story for now, bask in my commitment issues, for alas it is another story destined for hiatus...but do not blame me for this...honestly I want to keep writing it, but I have to read the rest of the manga, and am currently not home. I am in fact on a bit of a vacation right now, so I'm away from my manga and I have no internet where I am at so I can't read the chapters online. I suppose it gives me some time to work on the plot of the story, though it isn't hard since I am following the story.**

 **As for now, since I did finish V3, I might write something Danganronpa related...I am still working on the plot for the School Trip of Mutual Killing, so I might continue that, or I might surprise you with something new...who knows?**

 **So, this shall be the last Akame Ga Kill chapter for now, so I do hope you like it...it contains the final chapter in volume four of the manga, and sets up for the next chapter which will start the beginning of Volume 5's events...so I do hope you like it, there is a bit of an original mission. Also, I did something in this chapter that will make Zack look over powered, but I don't give a flying fuck about that, I'll make my character how ever the fuck I want, deal with it.**

 **I leave you with this, have fun with this chapter! Bye-onara!**

Akame ga Kill

Blood Rain

Chapter 13

Kill the Danger

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial City: Jaegers Base xxx**_

Wave was happy he brought seafood with him now. It was a nice way to make a meal, and it all came from the sea, so it was a rather healthy option, instead of eating cattle or pork. In his opinion, it was much cleaner since it came from the ocean. He had decided to assist Bols with making dinner. The man had managed to make a seafood scampi with all of the stuff he brought, in a large pot big enough to feed all of the Jaegers. He held the knife tightly as he continued cutting up all of the vegetables, getting them ready for the stir fry he was going to cook, to pair it alongside the scampi.

"You know, I'm glad I brought all of this seafood now. We didn't have to go far to get ingredients to make a meal, that's for sure." Wave said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad too, I get to experiment quite a lot." Bols replied, not bothering to take his eyes away from what he was doing. Wave gulped a bit, sparing a glance at the man.

" _How can he cook with that mask? I honestly want to see what he looks like underneath that thing."_ he thought to himself.

"Wave, the spinach goes last. If you add it now, it will wilt." the man said.

"Huh? Oh...right you have a point." the man said, setting aside the leafy greens. The man let out a chuckle, glancing at his colleague.

"I gotta say, I'm glad you are such a good person Bols. It makes it easier to make friends with everyone else!" he said cheerfully. The man sighed, glancing down at the tile floor.

"I'm...not a good person." he said, barely above a whisper. The sound of frying food over took his voice, practically silencing him.

"I'm curious madam, what exactly do you like to do for fun?" Seryu asked, glancing at Esdeath, who set aside her wine glass.

"I dabble in a bit of hunting, and torture...when I'm bored, I study up on either. But right now, I'm focusing on finding love." she said, a confident tone in her voice. Seryu choked a bit, hitting her chest to get the wine out of her lungs. Kurome, who had been playing with Koro, glanced up at the woman, a passive look on her face.

"You...wish to find love?" she asked curiously. She shook it off, glancing at Seryu, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Tell me, I heard you had an extra teigu in your possession."

"Ah yes, we recovered a teigu belonging to a member of Night Raid, a giant pair of scissors. We haven't found anyone that can wield it yet...sadly if we don't find someone soon, the Minister will take it." the brunette replied.

"What a waste...it would do us good to find an extra person for our little six man squad." she said, pressing her hands onto her chin.

"Perhaps while we can find someone to wield it, we can have some fun." she said, finishing the last of her wine.

"Say Minister, why do you think Esdeath is looking for love right now?" Makoto asked, glancing at his Prime Minister. The man set aside his empty glass, which was quickly refilled.

"Well son, that's something that happens when you are older. The more you grow, the more you come to realize you crave the opposite sex. For Esdeath, I suppose her time has come...although that damn list of her's is quite demanding." he said, taking a bite from his cake. Makoto frowned, glancing at the piece of paper beside him.

"Indeed, it makes it quite hard to find the perfect person. General Nouken takes ten lovers to the battlefield, General Esdeath however was born for battle, her thirst for conflict staunched her other emotions. This is probably why she has such...preferred tastes." he said.

"Number one: Spends most of his time thinking about the advancement of the future. Enjoys training with military grade weapons.

Number two: Has Nerves of steel and likes hunting with me.

Number three: Like me, was raised on the frontier and not in the capital.

Number four: Because I will rule him, I wish for him to be younger than me.

Number five: Has an Innocent smile."

"Heh, right off the bat we can't find anyone who can fit the first criteria. Normal people won't ever even see military grade weapons, let alone touch them." Honest said.

"Number two is also rather hard, not everyone has nerves of steel, but those that do are used to the frontlines, meaning they'll be older than her, and will violate criteria number four...Minister Honest, were you picky when you chose your wife?" Makoto asked, causing the man to choke.

"I uh...don't feel comfortable answering that question your majesty. My wife is...well she's something." the man said, shuddering a bit.

"Oh, so she has you whipped?" he asked. The man blinked a few times.

"Someone find the librarian and sentence him to death. We can't have the Emperor reading smut this early on in life!" he said.

"Sir!" the two guards said, running off to find the poor man. Makoto frowned, glancing at his slice of cake.

"Aw...I liked Madarame." he said softly.

 _ **xxx Location: Night Raid's Base xxx**_

"What the fuck do you mean he's gone?" Zack cried, slamming his fist on the table, glaring at Lubbock and Leone, who both had sheepish looks on their faces. Sayo and Mine were looking at them as well, curious about the news they had just heard.

They had gotten home late from the mission in Tensui, so they had all slept in, getting some well deserved rest. Cornelia had been gone, doing recon in the city while remaining under cover, so the only one at the base aside from them was Akame. So when the two had returned from the capital without Tatsumi, worried looks were exchanged. Lubbock let out a laugh, rubbing his head.

"Alright, so it was like this...we were gonna to some recon, and decided to head to the coliseum, apparently Esdeath was holding a contest there. We thought we could get a look at the Jaegers if we went...but something else happened." the man said.

"Yeah, Tatsumi entered the contest himself and did quite good...so good in fact that Esdeath named him the winner. She then proceeded to put a collar around his neck like a dog, and then dragged him away, claiming him to be her lover. He's in deep." Leone said.

"You guys are retards." Mine said, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Did she realize he was part of Night Raid?" Akame asked firmly, earning a no from the others.

"I don't think so...all we saw was Tatsumi being dragged toward the palace. He doesn't seem to be in any danger, honestly it's fifty-fifty right now." the blonde replied.

"Christ, this is just what we needed...what do we do boss?" Zack asked, glancing at Akame, who's fist was clenched tightly.

"You better not suggest something crazy like storm the castle. That shit would be impossible. The palace is guarded by some crazy security, made up of teigu wielding guards and teigu tamed danger beasts. We cannot risk ourselves, and we can't risk Tatsumi's identity either." Mine said firmly, earning a nod from Akame.

"You're right...we should move our base deeper into the mountains, just to be safe." She said.

"Good idea, we might get found out here. But it's Tatsumi that has me worried." Lubbock said.

"We can't charge in there without a plan first...we have to focus on that first." Zack added, earning a nod from the woman.

"Of course, for our precious comrade Tatsumi, we will do everything we can!" Akame said firmly, earning cheers from the others.

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Capital: Jaegers Base xxx**_

"And thus that leads me to introduce the new back up member of the Jaegers. This is Tatsumi everyone, be sure to make him feel welcome here." Esdeath said, smiling at the young man, who was chained to a chair, a rather angry look on his face.

"So...you brought a civilian here against his will, just like that?" Wave asked.

"Indeed, worry not. He shall have everything he needs right here, besides, I felt it! Not just is he gonna be our reserve member, he is also going to be my lover." Esdeath said, a blush on her face.

" _Yeah like hell, you can bend right over and kiss my ass lady!"_ Tatsumi cried in his mind, glaring at the woman.

"If you want him to be your lover, perhaps you should take the collar off. He isn't a dog you know." Wave said, earning a hum from the woman.

"Quite right, I believe I was too hasty with the collar...someone, take it off him." she said. Wave sighed, deciding to aid the young man with this simple task, Tatsumi seemed relieved to no longer be wearing the collar, of course he was still wrapped in tight chains, preventing him from moving.

"While we are on the subject, has anyone here been in a relationship before? I could use all of the information you have." the blue haired woman said. Bols rose his hand, surprising everyone around him.

"I've...actually been married for six years. She's so good to me, I don't deserve her!" he said bashfully, his hands flying to his cheeks.

"Um...excuse me...while I'm flattered that you are...deeply attracted to me, I have no desire to serve the Empire." Tatsumi said, earning a grin from Esdeath.

"I'll do something about that disobedience."

"Listen to what I'm saying!" he shouted, his voice reverberating off the walls.

"Aw, he's just having a hard time adjusting, you just have to give him some time!" Seryu said, earning a glare from Tatsumi. His heart skipped a beat when he got a good look at her face. He grit his teeth, feeling one of them crack from the pressure in his jaw.

" _She's the one that killed Sheele."_

"It'll be alright, remember me? I helped you out once!" she said cheerfully.

"Get your hands off me!" the boy cried, catching the girl by surprise. He growled angrily, closing his eyes tightly.

" _Goddamn it, I wish I could say that...but Bro said I couldn't act on passion alone. I've got to grit my teeth and bare it. I'll get my chance soon enough."_ the boy said, clenching his fists so tightly his nails cut his skin, a small trickle of blood falling to the floor.

"General Esdeath! We have news on the bandits that have settled around Lake Gyogan!" the man said, moving toward the woman. She smiled, thanking the man as she took the report.

"Hmm...it seems you all have your first job. As you know, bandits have been setting up around Lake Gyogan, you're mission is to take care of all of them." Esdeath said firmly.

"A lot of bad guys from the capital outskirts have been hiding there...they've been flocking there by the hundreds." Seryu said, taking a look at the map.

"Since we have no idea where Night Raid is, we'll have to forgo the search and deal with the matter at hand. I want you six to go in and kill all of these bandits." She said firmly.

"What if they surrender?" Bols asked, earning a chuckle from the woman.

"Surrendering is what the weak minded do. It is the natural order of nature for the weak to be picked off." she said simply.

"Hehe hahaha...just the thought of having a lot of evil doers to pick off, makes me so happy I joined this squad!" Seryu said cheerfully.

"Exterminate them to your hearts content, have fun and enjoy the carnage!" Esdeath said cheerfully.

"I feel bad for these fuckers...they're probably not gonna be ready for her brand of justice." Tatsumi said, earning a chuckle from Wave.

"Tell me about it man, I haven't seen her fight, but seeing that look on her face, I can sort of connect the dots." he said.

"Before we deploy, I want you all so slay at least a dozen of these men! Understand that this is the kind of work all of you will do from now on, is that understood?" she asked firmly.

"I am a soldier! I shall carry out the mission I have been given, someone has to do it." Bols said, rather sadly.

"Likewise, I will carry out my mission to the letter without fail." Kurome said, gripping her katana tightly.

"I...owe my life to a guy in the Navy...he gave me this sword, told him to fight in his stead. I'll do my best to get rid of this evil!" Wave said firmly.

" _Sounds like someone I know rather well...now that I think about it, that sword almost looks like Incursio's key...could it be that there's another armor teigu out there?"_ Tatsumi thought.

"In order to advance in the world and fulfill a certain wish, I must do an act of honorable service, I may not look it, but I am overflowing with zeal!" Run said, snapping his book closed.

"And you doctor?" Esdeath asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Hmph, my guiding principle is simple. The pursuit of Stylishness, do you understand?" he asked, earning a frown from his commander.

"I do not."

"Well, think of it like this. When I first saw you on the battlefield, I could only think this...wow, how merciless! Here stands a god! It's that stylishness I wish to study!" the man cried, dropping to his knees.

" _Where the hell did she get these guys? The insane asylum?"_ Tatsumi cried in his mind, unable to understand why Dr. Stylish was glowing brilliantly.

"Good, no hesitation from any of you...I wouldn't accept anything less. Let us go, the battle awaits...you too Tatsumi!"

"Huh? You want me to go too?" the boy asked, earning a nod from Esdeath.

"As a spare, I would like for you to witness the team in action." she said.

"Oh...okay." he said, standing up from his seat.

" _If anything, I can commit their battle styles and teigu into my memory and relay it to the others. It may be a pressing situation, but I can at least see this as a recon mission. Don't worry bro, I will not let you down!"_

 _ **xxx Location: Lake Gyogan xxx**_

Being stealthy wasn't Zack's forte...well, it was. He had been trained to be quiet when he moved around, but he honestly loved the thrill of battle even more. There was a better sense of accomplishment when you were part of the carnage. Rather, that was what he thought, ever since getting Crescent Rose that is. He had a theory, that the Danger Beast killed to make his weapon, had been vengeful of those that killed it. That vengeful nature survived somehow, creating the love of bloodlust he often got in the heat of battle.

There was simply no way he could avoid a direct conflict, not when there was a chance to get his vengeance on the Empire that wronged him. He used to fight for the oppression and the fact that his sister had been missing, but now that she had been found, he fought for more than just that. He wanted to take revenge on the Empire that harmed her, he wanted to kill those who joined sides with Honest, and he wanted nothing more than to find and destroy the bastards who took the lives of his friends. Liver and the Three Beasts had been defeated by Tatsumi, but there was a chance he could still find Seryu and slice her in half, it was his new personal mission.

While his friends moved to the temporary base, he and Lubbock decided to take a journey to Lake Gyogan, one of the Rebel's strong points. It was a place where those who opposed the current Empire could go seeking refuge. Not only that, they had their own bandit squad, ready and willing to fight whatever mugger or murderer dared place a foot in their barracks. Some of the funds from the nearby Tensui village had gone there, to help them again armament and various other supplies. The injured towns people had already been moved to another safer location, so the place now stood to hide runaways and recruits fresh to the Rebel Army.

Lake Gyogan was beautiful. It was glowing almost like a million sapphires under the pale glow of the full moon. The pine trees surrounding the lake gave anyone who walked through the woods a perfect cover. Jumping from tree to tree was also quite possible, since the trees were tall and firm, their branches gave them enough reach to continue unseen.

The Stronghold wasn't that far from them. It was on a large cliffside overlooking the base. It was a castle like structure constructed from hard limestone. It had been a shelter for the war that had happened five hundred years in the past, and had been completely fixed up when the Rebel Army claimed it as their own. The tall spires of flame could still be seen from the bottom of the cliff, so the two boys knew that the guards were still on duty. Zack tried looking around the area with his telescope, but he wasn't able to see a single thing.

"I'm not liking this one bit man...I usually see some guards up on the towers, and right now I don't see anyone." Lubbock said, folding his binoculars down. Zack did the same, retracting his scope.

"We're gonna have to go inside. These guys are important for this area, you know how hard it is getting willing recruits for the army. They've been taking care of the nearby villages too. It wouldn't do us good to bail without checking in." he said. Lubbock nodded, flicking his wrist. His nearly invisible threads flew forward, heading toward a nearby guard tower. He narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to feel around for anyone or anything. It was sort of a special ability he had with Cross-Tail, by feeling the tension of his strings, he could tell if there was anyone in the area. He frowned, retracting his threads, glancing at his friend.

"I didn't feel anyone up there...could be he's on a piss break, or it could be the obvious one." he said.

"Shit, without Tatsumi, we wouldn't be able to even sneak by...he's our muscle now. It would be good to come back with Akame, but she has her hands full right now. I got an idea, just stay hidden in the trees and wrap a thread around my wrist, I'll let you know if I'm in need of help." he said, earning a wide eyed look from his friend.

"Dude are you insane? You can't go up there by yourself! What if there are teigu wielders up there? What if all the guards are dead?"

"If there are any teigu wielders up there, I'll just bail. I got enhanced reflexes thanks to my teigu remember. I can get in and out without being seen." he said. Lubbock sighed rubbing his eyes a bit. He gave him a nod.

"Fine, but I'll give you five minutes. If you aren't out by then, I'll pull your ass out, got it?"

"Fair enough. Let's go." he said, jumping toward a nearby tree. The two of them continued jumping from tree to tree, getting closer and closer to the stronghold. Once they went up to the area closest to the outer wall, Zack started climbing higher and higher.

He reached the edge of the cliff and jumped toward it, his gloved hands easily snagging the edge. He pulled himself up with ease and dashed toward the nearby shrubs, making sure not to pull attention to himself. He started shimming next to the wall, going toward a nearby window, which he easily reached for. He reached for the grappling hook Lubbock had made for him and threw it up as hard as he could, getting it over the edge. Once he was sure it had been secure, he started climbing up.

" _This is insane. I normally wouldn't be doing something like this, but goddamn is it fun."_ he thought to himself. Even though he liked the thrill of battle, being stealthy did have its perks. The rush of adrenaline, the thought of being caught red handed, it did making his blood pump a lot harder than normal.

Once he had made it up to the edge of the outer wall, he took a peek over it, finding all of the guards were gone. Their torches were still lit, and placed at the corners of every single wall joint. The base was a large square, almost like a castle, with various tents being set up all over the place. He easily climbed inside, immediately dropping to a crouch behind some creates.

" _This is odd...it's too freaking quiet. I better let Lubbock know I might take a bit of extra time."_ he thought to himself. He felt for the thread around his wrist and started his message, a simple line of Morse Code. He had been glad the boy insisted in learning it, because it made communication much easier.

He dashed toward the next stack of creates, finding a few discarded crossbows on the ground, along with all of their bolts. He glanced around the create, face grimacing a bit when he saw all of the guards on the ground, holes in their foreheads. He sighed angrily, grabbing one of the nearby crossbows. He easily set a bolt in place, dashing toward the nearest create. He made his way toward the stone stairs, rounding the corner as he walked at a brisk pace down below.

He aimed his weapon in all directions, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anyone or anything that would sneak up on him. He didn't spot anyone, but he did see all of the fallen guards. Some of them had been torn to shreds, while others were missing entire body parts. One man had been burned to a crisp, his body still on fire, a look of agony on what once was his face. He grabbed a nearby bucket of water to douse the flames, but that didn't do a thing.

" _Flames that don't go out when water is placed on them...that sounds a lot like...that teigu that destroyed my village."_ he thought to himself. He felt something scurrying behind him and quickly turned around, pulling the trigger of his crossbow. A loud squeak filled his ears, the bolt still moving a bit.

"Damn rats." he muttered under his breath, reaching for another bolt. He kept walking alongside the wall, seeing more fallen Rebels all over the place. Reaching the next stairwell, he moved down it, as quietly as he could.

He reached a long empty hallway, the doors having been blasted open. He moved toward it, pressing himself against the remainder of the door frame. He glanced outside, eyes widening a bit.

The entire yard was filled with bodies, all of them having been torn to shreds, sliced open with swords, bitten in half or outright burned. He threw caution to the wind and walked outside, pulling his hood over his head, making sure his mask was secure on his face. He looked around for any survivors, but didn't find a single breathing person.

"Fuck...these guys were exterminated." he muttered dryly.

Not a lot of things could shock Zack like this anymore. Seeing all of these deceased men was really off putting. Especially with the armament lying nearby.

He heard something coming from a nearby hallway, and glanced behind him. Something was hiding, but he know exactly what it was. He continued standing there, looking around as if nothing had bothered him, until they finally sprung into action. They dashed forward at him with a raised short sword. Just as fast, Zack spun on his heel, firing his bolt at the attacker. Their body fell to the ground deceased, an arrow sticking straight through their head.

" _The fuck is this thing?"_ he thought to himself. He looked the body over, realizing it was human, only it had been enhanced with bionic upgrades. He felt the air get a bit thicker, a smirk working its way onto his face.

Reaching for Crescent Rose, he quickly pulled it out, simultaneously spinning it around, slashing the air behind him. Another man similar to the first, now flew back, being sliced clean in half. His body fell to the ground, several more appearing around the boy. He licked his lips, eyes darting all over the field. He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly.

"So...there are more of you? That's good...makes this more fun." he said, spinning his scythe around with great skill.

Three reinforced soldiers moved forward, all of them with their weapons drawn. Zack jumped back, dodging their swipes with a bicycle kick. He spun his weapon around, aiming it at them. Pulling the trigger, he sent out three spirit shots that sailed right through the center of their chest. He landed in a crouch, aiming his weapon behind him. Another shot sent him flying forward. He grabbed his scythe tightly in his hands as he fired another round, making him spin through the air like a wheel.

Changing the angle of his blade, he was able to slice right through their legs, sending most of them to the ground. Those that had jumped back had started firing guns at him, which he was able to easily deflect, but spinning his blade as fast as he could. He saw someone coming up behind him, and tugged hard on the thread wrapped around his wrist, pulling it tightly. The man tripped on it, falling straight into the volley from his comrades. Zack quickly cut the thread, allowing him a bit more free movement.

"Alright you fucks...you've been playing a rather dangerous game." Zack said, turning to face the soldiers who were all busy reloading. They had hit him a few times, but the bullet holes were already sealing up, the bullets having been pushed out of the wounds. He cracked his neck, a grin on his face.

He dashed forward, holding his scythe blade behind him as he ran, the back end almost dragging on the ground. He quickly stopped, letting out a gunshot at the same time. The recoil brought the blade forward, the tip of it slamming right through the head of the nearest soldier, slicing him clean in half. Zack continued firing, shifting his weapon to hit everyone nearby.

" _Four left, out of how many...thirty or so?"_ he asked himself. He jumped back a few feet, dropping his magazine. He reached for his pouch, pulling out a new one, pulling the loading rod hard.

The four soldiers however weren't going to follow in the footsteps of their fallen comrades. They all prepared for the worst, knowing they may not survive. One of them moved forward, dashing at Zack with great speed, his legs whirling as he sped up. The cloaked boy moved back a bit, watching his enemy make their move. He kicked up a rifle, catching it with easy, but it was sliced in half before he could even fire. Zack smirked as he threw his weapon at the man, who could do nothing but stop, catching it in his hands.

Due to the massive weight, he had been brought down to his knees. The red cloaked boy dashed forward, slamming his leg right into the side of his head, snapping his neck back with ease. He quickly grabbed his scythe, letting off a final round, slicing apart the three that had jumped at him in a pincer attack. Their blood splashed all around him, as their bodies hit the ground with a dull thud. Zack pulled his blade toward himself, looking at the crimson liquid that was still on it. He frowned a bit, taking in some of the scent.

"This doesn't smell like normal blood. It usually has a metallic smell, this...smells more like oil." he thought out.

"Bro, the fuck?!"

"Eh? Oh he Lubbo, what's up?" he cried out, watching as the green haired young man ran into the base. He glanced around, seeing the piles of bodies all over the place. Zack flicked some blood off his weapon before retracting it.

"The fuck do you mean, what's up? Dude, you can't cut your lifeline like that! I was about to pull you out when I felt all of those dudes jump out. You can't take risks like that!" the boy snapped, earning a sigh from Zack.

"Yeah, I know...but I just wanted a bit of fun. Anyway, the Rebels here were taken out by teigu wielders. It was sort of obvious, seeing as some of these guys have distinct lacerations." he said.

"What about these guys here?" Lubbock asked, glancing at the bionic soldiers.

"No idea, but I think these guys have the same upgrades I saw on that Seryu cunt. Speaking of her, some of these marks looks like they came from Hecatoncheir. See how this guy has bite marks? I remember it having the ability to do that." Zack said, a frown on his face.

"Hey man, I'm sorry...seeing this shit must remind you of that night right?" he asked, earning a nod from the boy.

"There's another teigu that has me worried. The bringer of purgatory, Rubicante, it's a flamethrower teigu that has flames so hot, they can't be put out. I remember that one distinctly...it was the same one that burned down my village several years ago." he said.

"Shit, that means there's an Incineration Squad guy among them...hey, you think this was the Jaegers who did it?" Lubbock asked, earning a nod from Zack.

"It's obvious. These guys weren't ones to advertise their whereabouts, no they were found out, meaning they hired the Jaegers to exterminate them. We need to head back to base and relay this to Akame. We're dealing with some strong people here." he said.

"Fine, let's go...before more surprises pop out from the shadows."

 _ **xxx Location: Imperial Palace: Esdeath's Room xxx**_

" _I-I can't believe what I just witnessed...those Jaegers...holy shit."_ Tatsumi muttered. He shuddered a bit, remembering how the Jaegers had fought off all of those Rebels. He hadn't been expecting them to be so in sync, seeing as they had all just met.

Now he had been brought to Esdeath's room, the General having excused herself for a shower. He was in the Snake pit, and there was no way in hell he was getting out of there without getting killed. He was sitting down on the woman's bed, biding his time, hoping by some miracle of god that he could slip away.

"Ah, sorry for making you wait so long." the woman said, causing the boy to look at her. He let out a small scream, his face turning white as ghost. The woman had come out of the bathroom, wearing nothing more than a long sleeved white shirt. He swallowed hard, glancing at her bountiful chest.

" _Holy fuck those are huge...I could bury my...no no no...not the time boy, sit down."_ Tatsumi cried, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, would you like something to eat or drink?" she asked. He shook his head, looking at the wall, a blush on his face.

"I'm fine...I'm not tit...thirsty...oh hungry...thanks." the boy said softly, biting his cheek at his near mistake.

"Hmm...you seem a bit nervous." she said, taking a seat next to the boy, crossing her legs. Tatsumi looked at her, biting his lip a bit.

"N-nervous? I'm not nervous...no...not at all." he said. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It's quite alright...I'm new to this as well. If we follow our hearts, we should find all of the answers." she said happily.

" _Yeah fuck you lady, there's no way I'm pulling the pin on this grenade...oh right, there is that."_

"Oh uh...I have a question...Miss Esdeath, you like me right?" he asked. She pushed the boy down, pressing her lips against his own. She straddled his hips, pressing him further down into the mattress. His mind was breaking. His first kiss was stolen by his enemy. She was straddling his hips, and he could distinctly feel blood rushing down to a body part he didn't think he would be using for anything other than his nightly transgressions. His eyes were still wide with shock.

" _Oh my god, what the fuck his happening? What will I do? Holy shit if Sayo finds out, I'm so fucking dead!"_

"Does that answer your question?" Esdeath asked, after releasing the boy from her kiss. She licked her lips, a grin on her face. She had her hand on his chest, feeling all of his muscles.

"It answers it loud and clear...now would you mind getting off my lap? Mini me is poking something he shouldn't be poking until he's married." he said, earning a giggle from the boy.

"It's alright, if it's marriage you want, I can arrange that posthaste..but I would like to sample the goods first."

"No no...I have something to say, so listen to me first!" he said firmly. She tilted her head, brushing some hair from her face.

"Alright, say it loud and clear for momma to hear."

"First, don't call yourself momma, that just makes this weird relationship we have even more fucked up. Second, I want you to know that I hate the current Empire, with a fucking passion." he said firmly.

"So, many people dislike the Empire, what of it?" she asked firmly. She didn't understand what the boy was getting at. She heard him sigh, as he pushed her back a bit, sitting up and looking firmly into her eyes.

"I am not fighting for this Empire, I would much rather join the Revolutionary Army. Why don't you join them? You could help change this Empire forever!" he said firmly. He felt a sharp sting on his face, and only then realized the woman had slapped him across the face.

"Tatsumi, you know I'm a General of the Imperial Army...you can't speak of joining the Revolution so openly." she said, a firm look on her face.

"It might be hard, but you and I might end up as enemies someday, and I don't want that to happen."

"It's alright, you've lived an unsatisfying life...stay here forever. You won't lack any comfort." the woman said, hugging him tightly. He pushed her back, glaring angrily into her eyes.

"That's not it! My friend...my friend was killed by some fucked up people! He died in my arms, asking me to change this Empire. I've seen what the Minister is doing, all the fucked up shit he's responsible for. Another one of my friends lost his entire village to a Fire Squad, and his sister was captured and raped for two straight years...if I have the power, I will change this Empire!" he said firmly. Esdeath frowned, turning away from the boy.

"I get it. You have family right? If that's it then we can bring them here, they'll be heavily safeguarded."

"No, that's not the point. Imagine it this way...there's a girl out there in some village that's just like you. Due to how this Empire operates, her love could be whisked away, and she may never act on her feelings. Do you get what I'm saying?" he asked.

"I do not. Those are the feelings of the weak!" she said firmly.

"Fucking hell...okay...how about this...if you and I um...consummate our relationship, by some miracle of god...and you get pregnant, wouldn't you want the child to grow up in a place free of strife?" he asked curiously.

"I wouldn't allow my precious daughter to see the dark side of the Empire. I'll keep her locked up for life if need be." she replied.

"Excuse you, what if we have a son?" he asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Then I shall teach him the art of war and turn him into a warrior that will surpass even me." she said firmly.

" _Ugh...there's no reasoning with this woman...I can't believe I even brought up having children."_ the boy thought to himself.

"I understand you might be disappointed...but it'll be alright. I'm also quite alright with consummating our relationship. I'll teach you that being with me isn't a bad thing." Esdeath said, standing up from the bed. She started unbuttoning her shirt, only for Tatsumi to grab her hands.

"No no. That isn't necessary." he said.

"Oh...you naughty boy, you don't want your precious love juice to fall on my skin, I'll be sure to suck it all up!" she said, licking her lips.

"Uh no...I'm not having sex with someone unwilling to see the darkness that surrounds us. I'm never going to love a person like that, ever!" he said firmly.

"I like that look too...you're so determined. The fate of the weak is to be hunted by the strong, so you took it upon yourself to get stronger...that's why you can say that to me, why you can smile like that. I want to support everything that you are." she replied, earning a sigh from the boy.

"If you wish to support me, then let me go. Either that or think about joining the Revolution. You have what it takes to become good, if it's conflict that you like, then imagine yourself taking down horrible evil doers who don't follow the laws, that should be enough." he said.

"My apologies, I cannot accept that mentality...regardless, you must be tired after today."

"Uh...right...I'm gonna go sleep on that sofa over there."

"Nonsense! You'll sleep on the bed with me, I don't mind if you get frisky either, my body is yours!" she said. He let go of her hand, racing toward the bathroom.

"I changed my mind! I'm taking a bath instead!" he cried, reaching the door.

"Hmm...alright, but remember, if you try to leave you'll be killed instantly, don't disappoint me Tatsumi." Esdeath said, causing the boy to stop. He didn't say anything, entering the bathroom shortly after.

The next morning, Tatsumi wondered into the meeting room for the Jaegers. Only four of them had gathered today, Bols, Wave, Kurome and Run. He didn't know where Seryu was nor did he care. He was honestly hoping she had fallen in a ravine and died a horrible death. In fact, that was all he thought about when he was taking a shower. He needed to distract himself from the conversation he had with Esdeath the night before. It was the only thing that kept him sane.

"Whoa, did you even sleep last night?" Wave asked, seeing the dark bags under his eyes.

"No...you try to sleep when you got the strongest General in the Empire pressing your face into her boobs, and trying to reach your love handle." he said firmly.

"Tough night, that does seem like a worrisome thing to experience." the man said, glad that he hadn't been in his shoes. Tatsumi glanced at Kurome, who hugged her bag tightly against herself.

"I'm not giving you candy." she said.

"I didn't want any, thanks." the brunette said, frowning a bit.

" _That one reminds me a lot of someone else. In fact, she looks quite a lot like Akame...could this be her little sister? She did say her name was Kurome."_ he thought.

"Here you are Tatsumi, some Royal Milk Tea should perk you right up."

"Oh...thanks Bols, I appreciate it." he said, accepting the tea. He took a sip of it, feeling better right after.

"Wow, this is amazing!" he said.

"Isn't it? My wife taught me how to make it, she's such a gifted person." the man said bashfully, no doubt blushing under his mask. Tatsumi rolled his eyes.

"Um, Kurome, I have a question for you...I couldn't help but notice you look a lot like that Akame girl from the posters in town, are you perhaps related to her?" he asked, taking another long sip from his tea. Kurome set down her candy, looking at the table.

"You've noticed the resemblance then? Yes, Akame is my dear older sister...we used to be assassins for the Empire, alongside several other friends. Akame turned against the Empire and tried to taint me too. Everyone else either got killed or disappeared. She isn't the only other one, big sis Cornelia is also part of the Revolution." she said.

"Cornelia? I don't think I remember reading anything about her." Tatsumi said.

"She's wanted for treason, just like the Empire. Rumor has it, she ran off with a very powerful Shingu, a weapon that's like a Teigu, only they are far less superior. She's a very worthy foe, one that I wish to kill myself." Run said firmly, flipping through the page of his book.

"Why is that?" Wave asked curiously.

"That...is a secret."

"Anyway, I came to the Empire for one reason, and that's to find my older sister Akame. I want to tell her how much I love her, right before I kill her, with this sword the Empire has given me." Kurome said, handing the Katana to Tatsumi.

" _This looks just like Murasame...but it's a bit longer, and a little heavier."_ he thought, drawing the blade, eyes widening when he saw it was a dark purple in color.

"I can feel a strange power coming from this sword...what exactly can it do?" he asked curiously.

"This sword lets me reanimate corpses. I can only control eight at a time, and their abilities cannot grow stronger, they're as strong as they were before being turned into my puppets. I've left a slot open for my dear sister, she'll be joining my undead army." she said happily. Tatsumi's face drained a bit as he sheathed the blade, handing it back to the girl.

"Well, I found the person who scared the total shit out of me. I'll do my best not to piss you off." he said, bowing a bit.

"Friends of the Empire do not annoy me Tatsumi...but you best not betray us, or else you might become one of my puppets." she said, giving him a grin as she grabbed her candy bag.

"Well, I'm happy to see you all here! Good morning to you all!"

"Good morning Commander, you seem lively today." Wave said, earning a giggle from the woman.

"Of course! I had a comfortable pillow with me last night." she said, glancing at Tatsumi who shuddered a bit.

"We'll be heading out for a hunting mission, to Famo Mountain. It is a dangerous area, so we can't head alone. Wave, Kurome you'll be coming along as well." the woman continued, earning curious looks from the two.

"Us too?"

"Yes of course. I haven't seen all of Kurome's skills yet, so this will be the perfect chance to learn something new. Wave and Tatsumi will be the second team, we'll switch during the night." Esdeath said firmly.

"Shit." Tatsumi muttered dryly, earning a curious look from the woman.

"Famo Mountain is a dangerous place, we'll look for bandits as well...let's head out now, while it's still morning. We'll make excellent time if we hurry." she said, spinning on her heel.

 _ **xxx Location: Famo Mountain xxx**_

"Man, this place is really tough...all of this terrain is hard to traverse." Wave said, keeping his hand on the stone shelf beside him.

"This is nothing. I've had to face plenty of tougher shit out there man, you'll get used to it." Tatsumi said, earning a nod from the black haired man.

Famo Mountain was the same as the last time he had been there. Bro had taught him quite a lot in this tough terrain. He had been there with Zack and Akame many times to train and get stronger with Incursio. This was his perfect chance to slip away, using Incursio's invisibility would be rather easy, now that he knew how to use it.

"I'm familiar with Sea Danger Beasts, but not with mountain ones."

"They often lunge out in surprise attacks. There are some tree beasts that attack in packs." Tatsumi replied, earning a nod from the man.

"Hey man, I gotta ask you something, what's up with Esdeath's weird love for you?"

"Hell if I know. She wouldn't leave me alone about it, I already told her I have no interest in being a part of this filthy Empire. I've lost too many friends." he said.

"I get it, I have a hard time accepting it too. Honestly, I'm doing this to help my folks out...we can't be sea dwellers and Navy men forever. I know how dangerous the capital is but...you know money is money. You have it rough, so if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

"Thanks bro, I appreciate that. You have no idea how rough I've had it in the past." Tatsumi said, earning a chuckle from Wave.

"Someone, I can imagine it." he said. Tatsumi suddenly stopped, reaching behind his back for Incursio. Wave noticed this and tensed up a bit.

"What are you..."

"Watch out!" the boy cried, running back up the path. He dashed past Wave, slicing apart the beasts that had suddenly shown up.

" _My body reacted on its own to protect him...this must be what Bro was talking about."_ he thought.

"Look out, there are more out there." Wave said, drawing his own sword. They shared a nod and ran forward at the beasts, taking them on head on.

"We're outnumbered...but we can easily handle this." Tatsumi said.

"Right on, let's see who can take down the most...go!" Wave cried, running forward at the beasts. Tatsumi did the same, slashing several of them apart.

They continued fighting, taking down beast after beast, all of them screeching in pain. Wave wasn't even winded, swinging his sword to and fro, using all of the experience he had in the Navy to take down the beasts. Finally, he stabbed his sword through the final one, watching it fall to the ground.

"That's that. I was able to take fifteen, how about you Tat...sumi?"

He noticed the brown haired boy was gone. Wave's face turned white as a sheet as he realized what had happened. He let out a small scream of fear, already thinking about what was gonna happen to him.

"Come on bro! What the fuck! I know you're situation is bad, but you didn't have to ditch me!" he shouted. He sighed, his head drooping a bit.

" _I would have done the same in his boots...but come on man, why the hell did you have to it now?"_ Wave cried, looking around the area. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Guess I have no choice but to look for him. He could get hurt, and if he does, that would suck way worse then reporting in without him." he said. He slammed his blade into the ground, bowing his head a bit. His sword sparked with energy as the hilt opened up, the blue gem glowing brilliantly.

"GRAND CHARIOT!"

A large blue danger beast appeared behind the young man, glowing with energy. His arms and legs swirled with a thick mist, being surrounded by the special armor. He closed his eyes as his helmet and visor appeared around his head, the phantom like cape appearing around his shoulders. His right eye glowed a brilliant blue with a cross at its center. He let out a sigh, feeling comfortable that his friend was still strong.

"Now, to find Tatsumi, before he gets himself hurt!" he said, jumping down into the woods.

Tatsumi breathed a sigh of relief, looking around the area. Incursio had come in clutch, managing to get him away from Wave without him noticing. He continued moving down through the woods, following the stony banks of the river. He knew following it would get him back to the base, but he also had to be careful. Esdeath and Kurome were around, so they could also spot him. He let out a sigh, frowning a bit.

"I'm sorry Wave, but I am not going back to that bitch...my god have mercy on your soul." he said, bowing his head in prayer. He continued running, staying as silent as he could.

"Okay, this should be far enough. He couldn't have followed me this far in." he said, only to hear someone behind him. He jumped back, avoiding the fierce kick his new enemy had thrown at him. The ground around the man cracked entirely, a small shock wave moving through the ground.

" _Who the hell? An armor teigu? Who is this guy?"_

"Whoa, I've found myself a whopper. You're like Moby Dick, a legendary whale, and I'm Captain Ahab, a legendary captain. I recognize that teigu...it's the prototype of my own." he said firmly, pointing at Tatsumi.

" _This is definitely Wave...I knew that sword looked familiar...I'll have to ask Zack about this later, seeing as he's more versed in Teigu than I am. I can't let Esdeath trail me...I need to make my get away!"_ he cried, dashing toward a nearby cliff, climbing it with ease.

"Where are you going? Fight me like a man!" Wave cried, landing in front of the boy.

"I'm not letting you go Night Raid! I'm going to bring you down, and then I'll search for Tatsumi!" he howled, dashing at him, extending his fist.

"I don't want to fight you! I've got no reason too!" Tatsumi cried, dodging the strike. He slammed his foot into Wave's back, sending him flying forward.

"You may not have a reason, but I do. I've read all about you, you are villains poisoning this Empire. You kill people at random, and I hear you are affiliated with the Rebel Army. I will not let such injustice persist any longer!" he cried.

"That's not true! We may kill people but...I...we are not villains!" he cried.

" _You can't survive on Passion alone Tatsumi, remember that."_

" _Bro is right...he's gonna come at me...and I need to be ready."_ he thought to himself. Wave dashed forward, throwing a punch at him. Tatsumi dashed back, avoiding all of the punches, only to be launched into the air with a powerful kick. Wave jumped above him, letting out a cry, he slammed his leg right into the young man, throwing him into the river, launching water and rock in all directions. He floated in the air foe a few seconds looking around.

"Ah, I must have kicked him into the river...I don't see him anyway...of course he must have used the river to swim away.

"Ugh...sheesh...that was tough...he must not have Invisibility like I do...which means I was able to lose him. That kick was hard, I don't think I have enough stamina to keep going." he muttered. Incursio deactivated, making him fall forward.

"That last strike...was too strong...I can't even move." he muttered. He heard a growl not far from where he lay, and glanced up, seeing the large paws of a danger beast. He growled, reaching for Incursio's key. He forced himself to his knees, a glare on his face.

"A danger beast...I made it this far, I am not dying here!" he cried, forcing himself to move. The monster ran at him, throwing a slash at him. Tatsumi sliced its leg clean off, slamming his fist into its face, launching it back a few feet. He threw a diagonal slash at it, slicing its head clean off. He fell to his knees, panting a bit.

"Shit...that was it...I'm so fucked." he muttered. He heard another growl, seeing another Danger beast prowling toward him. He felt his mind break...he was too tired to handle this one. The creature let out a roar, only to be sliced clean in half a second later.

"A...kame?" the boy asked, surprised to see his friend before him. He heard another distinct gunshot nearby, seeing another beast falling down.

"Yo, Tatsumi...I didn't think I see you for awhile, man you look like shit." Zack said cheerfully, earning a punch to the arm from Akame.

"Be nicer!" she said firmly.

"Ow, goddamn it! What the fuck is up with all of you hitting my fucking arm?" he cried, growling a bit. Akame knelt down before the boy, looking him over. She pulled out some gauze, wrapping up his bleeding arm.

"How did...you find me?"

"We split into groups, me and Zack were watching the front entrance of the capital, so we followed at a distance." she said.

"Yeah man, you did good...I wasn't expecting to see Grand Chariot again though. You survived that hit admirably, but we need to move, before that guy finds us." he said, placing Incursio's key in his holster, the chain sticking out of the end.

"I'm so sorry...I had to be rescued again...you went out of your way, just for a weakling like me." the boy cried, looking down at the ground.

"Hey, I would tear the earth apart to find you, that's what friends do." she said, giving him a smile.

"Akame is right man, we would never leave you. We fight in darkness and will die in darkness, we are killers by trade. Night Raid has to keep to the shadows, and that makes everyone who joins an invaluable member. Now let's go, we need to head out now, I hear movement." he said, his hand wrapping around Crescent Rose's hilt. Akame rested most of his weight against her shoulder, handing her katana to Zack to hold.

"Hey Zack, I got a question...I've seen you handling all of these teigu at once. Aren't the compatibility things an issue?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"Normally yes, but the thing for me is different. I am compatible with various teigu...my impression of every single teigu is pure admiration. Aside from being a member of Night Raid, my goal is to study each and every teigu. That's why I know so much about each one that's been documented. I saw that only a few of them were ever documented, half being stolen by the war that ravaged this land five centuries ago. I want to find them and see what they can do." he said firmly.

"So, that means you can wield any teigu you want?" the boy asked.

"Not at the same time. He has shown a great ability to use more than one teigu in the past, but using them both at the same time would kill him instantly. There have been people in the past to use two teigu at once, but their stamina and strength were through the roof. There is one teigu however that will bypass all of this." Akame said, earning a nod from the boy.

"The Teigu of the Emperor: Black Scorpion. A bracelet teigu that allows the user to control more than one teigu at a time. The maximum is two teigu. So if I had the scorpion, I could easily use Incursio and Murasame at the same time, so long as I was compatible with both of them." he said firmly.

"That doesn't sound like an overpowered teigu...not at all." the boy said, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Don't worry, that is a teigu of legend. People have only seen it few times, so no one is sure if it truly does exist. The thing is, only those who have royal blood can use that Teigu. So even if a lowly pleb like you got his hands on it, you wouldn't be able to use it." he said, giving him a playful smirk.

"Well fuck you too." Tatsumi said, earning a giggle from Akame.

"Don't worry, he means well...you have yet to see Zack when he truly gets serious...you will one day though." she said, earning a nod from the boy. They heard another growl, seeing a large mole danger beast appear before them. It let out a screech, exposing its claws.

"I think I should show you a little bit of what I can do." the boy said, unclasping the belt that held Crescent Rose's holster to his waist. He walked forward, drawing Murasame a bit. The mole threw a slash at him, only for the boy to throw a wide slash, cutting the arm off entirely. He jumped up, slashing the mole's throat. The cursed runes started flowing from the cut, making the mole scream in agony, falling to the ground shortly after. The boy flicked the blood off the blade, quickly placing it back in the sheathe.

"Wow...so you really can use Murasame." Tatsumi said. Zack nodded, placing Crescent Rose's holster back around his waist.

"Like I said, I have an immense admiration for most teigu. All of the teigu owned by my friends are dear to me. They are an extension of our souls, another limb which makes us grow stronger. Which is why I've wanted to recover Extase from the Garrison, but I haven't gotten close to her." he said, a frown on his face.

"Sheele...I saw the bitch that killed her. We can't take her for granted, she's had a lot of bionic upgrades...that dog thing hides all of her new weapons. She's...rather fierce." Tatsumi said

"I don't give a shit, I'll still fucking kill her...I gotta get one in for Mina, she's been suffering hell because of that bitch." he said, clenching his hand tightly.

"We should focus on getting Tatsumi home, he needs to heal properly."

"I'll keep watch, you go ahead of me." he said, earning a nod from Akame. The two continued forward, with Zack trailing behind them. He glanced over his shoulder, feeling a presence. His grip on Murasame tightened a bit.

" _Someone is out there, I better tell Lubbock to tighten security."_ he thought to himself.


End file.
